A bus veered off the road and plunged into a ravine in central China, killing 15 people, the official Xinhua News Agency said Friday.
All of the other 20 people aboard were injured when the bus drove off a mountain road in central Henan province. Twelve sustained serious injuries, according to Xinhua, including an 8-year old boy; five people were classified as in critical condition.
The cause of the accident in Mianchi county is still being investigated, but Xinhua said difficult mountain roads caused the bus to lose control. Road accidents are common in China, where vehicles are often overloaded and must drivers must contend with poor road conditions and bad driving habits.
The bus was properly licensed, Xinhua said, and was carrying passengers back home from a trip to the scenic area of Shaoshan in Henan.
On Wednesday three Chinese were critically injured and a Croatian coach was taken to the hospital following a collision in Beijing between a bus from the Olympic athletes' village and a van on the way to the Olympic rowing park. (AP).