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Chinese bus crash

October 1, 2012

Several German travellers have been killed in China when their bus burst into flames during a road crash. Initial reports highlighted road safety problems.

https://p.dw.com/p/16Hv6
TIANJIN, Oct. 1, 2012 Cell phone photo taken on Oct. 1, 2012 shows the site of a road accident which claimed 6 lives on a pivotal expressway linking Beijing with Shanghai near Beijing, capital of China. Six people, including five German nationals and a Chinese, were killed and 14 others injured after a tourist bus rear-ended a container truck and caught fire on Monday morning on the expressway
Image: picture alliance / ZUMAPRESS.com

According to the Chinese state-run news agency Xinhua, Monday morning's accident happened on an expressway linking the capital Beijing with the port city of Tianjin.

The tour bus of China Youth Travel Service was reportedly travelling from Beijing to Tianjin, carrying a group of tourists.

The bus reportedly burst into flames after hitting the rear of a truck on an expressway.

Xinhua said five Germans and a Chinese citizen were killed. Fourteen people were reported hurt but few other details have emerged. The reason for the accident is also unknown.

Road safety is a serious problem in China with government statistics citing about 70,000 deaths in traffic accidents per year. Authorities blame poorly maintained roads and bad driving habits.

“We see many road accidents here every day. We often don't feel safe,” said Johannes Hano, Beijing reporter with the public broadcaster ZDF in his first report on the latest accident.

rg/ipj (dpa, APE)