GUIYANG -- A minibus plunged into a 87-meter gorge after veering off a mountain road on Wednesday in Shuicheng County in southwest China's Guizhou Province, leaving 12 people dead and eight injured.

The accident occurred at 12:25 a.m. when the 19-seater vehicle overturned on a rugged mountain path and plunged into the valley, according to local police.

The bus, with 20 people aboard, including a child, was heading from Nayong County to Shuicheng County, both in the Bijie Region of Guizhou.

Eight people died at the scene, two died on the way to hospital, two died in hospital, and the other eight, including the driver, were injured, the police said.