Society

NW China expressway pile-up kills two, injures 28

(Xinhua)
Updated: 2010-02-12 11:44

XI'AN: Two people were confirmed dead and 28 others were injured in an expressway pile-up in northwest China's Shaanxi Province Thursday, local authorities said Friday.

A bus veered off its lane on an icy expressway that links Shaanxi with the eastern Shanghai Municipality and crashed into the guard rail at 3 a.m. Thursday in Danfeng County, a spokesman with the county's road traffic management department said Friday.

Eight vehicles, including three other buses and a truck, crashed into the bus, he said.

Two people on the truck were instantly killed and 28 from the other eight vehicles were injured.

More than 120 passengers from the seriously damaged buses were stranded on the expressway for nearly 10 hours until the county government arranged three buses at midday Thursday to take them home.

Most of the stranded passengers were migrants from the southwestern Sichuan Province and were heading home for the Chinese New Year that falls on Sunday.

Traffic police have blamed the accident on slippery road and driving fatigue.

Most parts of Shaanxi Province have reported snow and temperature drops in the latest round of blizzard that closed more than 40 expressways nationwide.