A bus accident in China's Xinjiang region has killed 22 people and injured scores others.

State media reported the accident happened shortly before midnight Tuesday in Bachu County.

The bus was traveling along the 428-km-expressway connecting the cities of Kashgar and Aksu when it overturned.  All 38 people injured were taken to a hospital. 

Like Us on Facebook

Images from the accident site released by state broadcaster CCTV showed the bus windows shattered, parts burned, and chassis twisted. 

The bus tires were also torn and charred. The area surrounding the crash site was filled with debris. 

Authorities have not released details on the cause of the accident, as an investigation is ongoing.

The accident came as the annual Lunar New Year travel rush comes to an end. 

Over 1.5 billion trips were made by Chinese people during the Spring Festival, where they returned to cities to be with their families. 

China has been known to have a high road fatality rate.  In 2011, more than 62,000 people were killed in traffic accidents, which were mainly blamed on inexperienced drivers and overloading.

Earlier this month a minibus got into an accident killing at least 10 people in Xingning.  The 11-seater bus was carrying 13 passengers - 4 of whom were children. 

The driver was said to have lost control of the bus while turning on a sharp curve downhill. 

Last month, a loaded truck got stuck in a sinkhole on a road in Guilin, Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region.  

Tagsbus accident, road accident