Thirteen people were confirmed dead and 25 others injured in a traffic accident in northwest China's Qinghai Province, sources said Sunday.
The accident happened on December 6 in Guinan County, when a passenger bus with the Qinghai No. 1 Automobile Transportation Company taking 41 people veered off the zigzag mountain road at a sharp turn and fell into the valley 60 meters below.
Ten people died on the spot and two others died on the way to hospital, said sources with the a provincial emergency meeting on road safety supervision, which opened Sunday.
Operation failure of the driver is attributable to the accident.
The local traffic police will conduct a safety overhaul and intensify patrols and random checks on road to prevent serious traffic accidents from happening during the winter season, when roads are slippery with snow.
( December 10, 2001)