WUHAN, Dec. 17 (Xinhua) -- Five people died and five others were injured when a truck and an off-road vehicle collided in central China's Hubei Province, firefighters said Monday.
The accident occurred around 7:40 a.m. on a section of the No. 107 National Highway near Xianning City, some 90 km south of the provincial capital of Wuhan, according to the firefighters.
An initial investigation found that a Honda CRV off-road vehicle collided head-on with a truck while attempting to pass another vehicle.
The Honda CRV, apparently overloaded with nine people aboard, then crashed into the guardrail, killing five people instantly. Four others were seriously injured and stuck in the severely damaged vehicle.
The truck overturned after breaking through the guardrail and dashing off the road. The driver of the truck suffered minor injuries, according to firefighters.
Firefighters took apart the Honda CRV and the four seriously injured people were pulled out of the vehicle about an hour after the accident. All the injured were sent to nearby hospitals.
Police are further investigating the cause of the accident.