HAIKOU - The death toll of a Hainan Island road crash rose to 12 early Wednesday after one person injured in the accident died in hospital, local authorities said.

Twelve others injured in the collision were still receiving treatment in hospital, said a Wuzhishan city spokesman.

Wang Chunlan, a doctor with the No 2 People's Hospital of Hainan province, said one of the injured was still in critical condition.

The accident occurred at about 4 pm Tuesday when a sand-hauling engineering truck slammed head-on into a medium-sized bus with 24 people onboard along a national highway that links Hainan's capital of Haikou with southernmost tourism resort of Sanya, near Wuzhishan.

An initial police investigation indicated that the bus was speeding while veering around a corner. A further investigation is under way.