Eighteen people were killed in a road accident in central China's Hubei Province early Friday morning, local authorities said.

A bus carrying 20 people plunged into a roadside lake at 6 a.m. near Miaoling Township, Ezhou City, said Wang Daoqian, head of the information office of the city government.

Two who were rescued are receiving hospital treatment. Their injuries are not life threatening.

The driver, surnamed Li, who is one of the two rescued, is in police custody.

According to Ma Yichun, a work safety and supervision official for the city, heavy fog with visibility of less than 100 meters may have been connected to the accident.

Further investigation is under way.