Minibus collision in Xi'an kills 10

Ten people died in a severe crash in Shaanxi province on Tuesday evening.

At about 8:30 pm, a minibus carrying 12 people struck a cement tanker in Xi'an, the Shaanxi firefighting department said on Wednesday.

Nine people died at the scene and one died after being sent to the hospital. Two others who were seriously injured were being treated, according to Shaanxi Broadcasting Corp on Wednesday.

According to the broadcast, nearby residents said trucks and cement tankers were frequently seen on the road where the accident occurred, creating bumps in the road. In addition, the lighting along the road hadn't been working for a long time, they said.

Traffic officials of the Ministry of Public Security and Xi'an's top official went to the accident site to guide the investigation.

Traffic safety regulations have been issued recently in China following serious road incidents. On Nov 3, a truck carrying a dismantled tower crane crashed into a line of 31 automobiles at a toll station on the Lanzhou-Haikou expressway in suburban Lanzhou, Gansu province, killing 15 people and injuring 36.

On Oct 28, a bus in Chongqing plunged from a bridge into the Yangtze River. An investigation found that a female passenger had assaulted the bus driver seconds before the accident. Fifteen people died.

Other fatal incidents have occurred in the coal, oil and fishing industries.

To strengthen traffic and production safety, an urgent notice by the production safety committee of the State Council on Monday ordered local traffic authorities to crack down on illegal behavior, including fatigued driving, speeding and overloaded vehicles.