Eleven dead after school bus hits students, parents in eastern China

Eleven dead after school bus hits students, parents in eastern China

Eleven people were killed in China's eastern Shandong province on Tuesday after a school bus lost control at a busy pedestrian junction, broadcaster CCTV reported, with disturbing footage showing bodies lying on the road and trapped under the vehicle.

Six parents and five children were killed in the incident while one remained in critical condition. More than two dozen were injured, CCTV said.

Dongping Police Department said in a statement on WeChat that a vehicle picking up students lost control at a junction in Dongping County, Shandong on Tuesday morning. The accident is under investigation, it added.

In July, a motor vehicle ploughed into pedestrians in Hunan province, killing eight people. In May, a bus carrying 45 passengers including 39 students collided with a truck in Jiangsu province, partly due to negligent driving.

Traffic accidents, often deadly, are common in China because of weak enforcement of traffic rules and a lack of safety awareness.

China's People's Daily Newspaper said on Sunday that China was urging measures at primary and secondary schools across the country to ensure safety of students and school including preventing safety hazards on campus, safe use of school buses and traffic patrols.