6 die in latest school bus accident in China

BEIJING – At least six people have been killed in the latest crash involving students in China when their overloaded van plunged off a mountain road.

The official Xinhua News Agency reported that an overloaded van taking students home crashed into a 195-foot (60-meter) deep valley in southwest China on Saturday. It said the eight-seat van was carrying 14 people and the other eight, including six students, were all hurt.

Xinhua’s Sunday report did not gave give the ages of the students or the cause of the accident. Xinhua said the crash happened on a mountainous road in Yunnan province.

There have been a string of accidents in the last several months involving overloaded school buses, resulting in a government call to boost safety.