Chinese authorities said seven persons died while 13 others were injured when a bus loaded with 25 passengers crashed head on to a private car Thursday afternoon on a highway in Maqu County in China's Gansu Province.

The collision caused the bus to overturn on the busy highway past 2 p.m., a local traffic police said. The sedan, with three passengers onboard, was also severely damaged.

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The identities of the drivers of the bus and the car have not been disclosed yet as well as the identities of the fatalities pending verification, authorities announced.

The seven persons died on the spot after they were pinned by the metal casing of the bus while others succumbed to the impact of the collision, the police said.

Other motorists immediately rushed the injured persons, two of whom described as in critical condition, to the nearby hospital.

Gansu province officials have not issued an official statement on the incident as traffic police were still investigating the cause of the accident.

One witness said the incident happened so fast that he suddenly saw the bus overturning following a loud bang, which was the collision.

"I saw some of the injured passengers emerging from the crashed bus, crying and shouting for help," the witness said.

The local government of Gansu immediately sent a rescue team to aid the injured passengers.

Last July, 38 people died when a bus collided with a truck carrying flammable liquid on the Hukun Expressway in central Hunan province.

The collision triggered a massive fire followed by an explosion that totally destroyed five other vehicles, resulting to the death of 38 people.

Road accidents that caused deaths are not new in China. In June, 40 persons died in Xiamen City, Fujian when fire engulfed a bus during an evening rush hour.

Last April, eight school children died in a bus crash on China's southern island province of Hainan. The students were on their way to a school outing when the bus overturned next to a stree in Wenchang.

TagsChina Road Accident