At least 25 people were killed after their bus veered off a
slippery mountainous road in the southwestern province of Guizhou
on Tuesday morning, according to the local production safety
watchdog.
A 35-seat passenger bus, carrying 38 people, veered off a
highway in the mountainous area of Zunyi City and plunged into a
40-meet-deep valley at about 7:40 a.m., officials with the
provincial work safety supervision administration said.
Two passengers suffering serious injuries were in a critical
condition, and another 11 had slight injuries, doctors said.
Initial investigation blamed the tragedy on the unusual snowy
weather in the region over the past days. The road was covered with
a thick layer of ice and the temperature was about minus two
degrees Celsius, a sharp contrast to the usual warm winter
climate.
Investigators are examining the possibility that traffic
administrators should not have allowed the bus to travel in such
poor weather conditions.
(Xinhua News Agency January 29, 2008)