Truck flips on road in eastern China, killing 16

In this photo released by China’s Xinhua News Agency, a highway worker cleans the site of an accident where a vehicle flipped on a provincial highway in Nanfeng County, east China’s Jiangxi Province, July 24, 2013. AP

BEIJING — A truck carrying agricultural workers home flipped while making a turn in a mountainous area of eastern China, killing 16 people.

The workers were returning to their homes in Jiangxi province after picking pears in neighboring Fujian province.

The Jiangxi government said 24 of the 28 people on the truck were women. Ten people were hospitalized with injuries after Tuesday night’s crash.

Agricultural workers are often transported in open trucks or three-wheeled pickups that offer little protection in the event of accidents.

China has been trying to improve its poor road safety record following a string of tragedies involving school buses.

Most accidents are caused by overloaded vehicles, tired or unsafe drivers, and badly maintained roads.