Eighteen elderly people were killed and two others injured on Friday when an overloaded minibus plunged into a roadside pond in central China’s Hubei province, police said. Two others, including the driver, were injured in the accident.
The nine-seater bus carrying 19 people met with the accident near Miaoling Township in Ezhou City, killing 18 people, head of the information office of the city government said.
It was not registered
According to police, the accident occurred at 6 a.m. near Miaoling Township, Ezhou City, Hubei Province. The bus was not registered as a commercial commuter vehicle and was overloaded, which caused the accident, police said.
Many of the casualties were over 60 years old, the oldest being 74. They were from two nearby villages, state-run Xinhua news agency reported.
Probe launched
Police are questioning the driver and have launched an investigation, the report has said.
According to Ma Yichun, a work safety and supervision official for the city, heavy fog with visibility of less than 100 meters may have led to the accident.
