6 killed in bus accident in SW China

CHONGQING, June 29 (Xinhua) -- Six people were killed and nine injured Thursday as a passenger bus was hit by falling rocks in southwest China's Chongqing Municipality, according to local authorities.

The accident happened at around 3:30 p.m. in Fengjie County. A medium-sized bus, carrying 19 people including the driver, was struck by falling rocks from a nearby hill. The nine injured passengers sustained minor wounds, according to the publicity department of Fengjie.

The rescue operation has concluded, and local authorities are investigating potential hazards to prevent similar incidents.

Fengjie County has been experiencing continuous heavy rain recently. The local meteorological service on Thursday afternoon issued a yellow alert for rainstorms, the second-highest in China's four-tier color-coded weather warning system.