The death toll from a traffic accident in northwest China's Gansu Province rose to 27 when one of the injured died on Tuesday, according to local doctors.

The accident happened on Monday afternoon in the city of Tianshui when a heavy-duty truck carrying three people collided with an oncoming minivan and then a passenger bus, which were carrying a total of 47 people. The truck reportedly had faulty brakes.

24 people, including the truck driver, were killed on the spot, and two died later, one on the way to hospital and the other after emergency treatment was unsuccessful. The latest casualty died in hospital on Tuesday.

Many of the injured are still in critical condition, doctors said.

The truck, registered in the eastern province of Anhui, was carrying bicycle wheels from Tianshui to Lanzhou, capital of Gansu Province, when the accident took place.

Police are in the process of identifying the victims, and investigations into the cause of the accident are underway.

(China.org.cn, Xinhua News Agency April 11, 2006)