A long-distance coach carrying 30 people crashed through a highway guard rail and plunged into a canal near the northern port city of Tianjin, killing 26 people onboard.

According to state media reports Saturday, the bus was on its way to the northeastern city of Shenyang from northern Hebei province when the driver lost control of the bus after its tire blew out.

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The report said the tire blow out sent the bus over the edge of the road, crashing through a highway rail guard before plunging into a deep-water canal.

The impact of the crash and the fall into the canal severely damaged the bus, with passengers pinned by the vehicle's metal structure. Most of those who perished drowned in the canal.

Rescuers onsite were seen pulling out bodies from the submerged bus below an expressway.

Only four of those onboard the bus - the second driver, the ticket collector, and two passengers survived the fatal crash. The bus driver also died.

Authorities said they will investigate the real cause of the incident even as initial investigation showed that the bus skid off when one of its tires exploded.

Long-distance coaches have long been known for over speeding to get ahead of competing buses. Such coaches are popular cheap mode of transport between cities, sources said.

The accident on Friday took place just days after a bus burst into flames while on a tour on a highway in Yizhang County, Hunan Province, killing 53 passengers.

Local authorities said 56 people were on board the bus when it crashed into the guardrails. The crash resulted to an oil leak that caused the blaze, according to authorities.

Last January, the police arrested a suspected arson who allegedly set a passenger bus ablaze in Ningxia Huia Autonomous Region, resulting to the death of 18 people and the injury of 32 other passengers.

Tagsbus accident, bus crash, road accident