26 Aug 2012

Dozens die in China bus crash

7:06 pm on 26 August 2012

Chinese state media is reporting 36 people have been killed in a collision between a bus and methanol tanker in the country's northwest Shaanxi province.

Three of the 39 bus passengers travelling around 2am on a highway near Yan'an, Shaanxi province, survived the crash and were being treated in hospital, the official Xinhua news agency said.

Public health officials say traffic accidents are among the leading causes of death in China, as new and often poorly-trained drivers take to the roads in greater numbers.

According to police, about 100,000 people a year have been killed in traffic accidents over the past decade.