Road traffic in China had been smooth so far into the lunar new year travel peak, with no serious congestion or major accident with a death toll of more than five, the Ministry of Public Security (MPS) said late Thursday.

The ministry did not give the total death toll from road accidents during the week-long holiday that started on February 13.

The latest deadly accident was reported Thursday afternoon in the south Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region that killed four people when their motorcycle collided with a bus.

The MPS said police nationwide were still closely monitoring road traffic near the end of the holiday.

Coach and railway terminals in major Chinese cities braced for a fresh travel rush Thursday as millions of festival travelers started returning to work.

Traffic across the country faced huge challenges during what is called the world's largest annual migration around the lunar new year, to be added by unfavorable weather such as snowfalls and rain.

The Ministry of Railways estimated 210 million passengers will travel during the 40-day rush period beginning January 30, a 9.5 percent rise compared with a year earlier.

The lunar new year, or the Spring Festival, fell on February 14 this year.

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