At least 18 people were killed and 39 others injured in two fatal traffic accidents on Sunday afternoon in northwest China's Xinjiang Uygur and Ningxia Hui autonomous regions, local police have confirmed.

 

At about 5:50 PM Sunday at the Shule County section of the No.315 national highway, a bus heading from Kashi to Yengisar County in Xinjiang veered out of control on a bridge and careened into a river, killing 13 and injuring 18 people, according to local traffic police.

 

It is still not known how many people were on the bus by press time. The injured have been hospitalized, but two children are missing.

 

In another accident in Haiyuan County in Ningxia, a bus carrying 26 passengers was traveling from Yinchuan City to Guyuan City when it rammed into a truck and ran off the road at about 4:30 PM Sunday.

 

Police confirmed on Monday that five people aboard the bus were killed on the spot, 21 others were injured and hospitalized. One person who was slightly injured in the accident has been discharged from hospital. No one in the truck was hurt.

 

Local police said that cause of the two accidents is under investigation.

 

(Xinhua News Agency May 22, 2006)