Four people were killed and five others injured as a minibus plunged down a deep ravine in Nantou County in central Taiwan on Sunday afternoon, local media reported.

The accident happened when the minibus carrying nine passengers fell off a narrow, slippery mountain road towards the Taichi Gorge Scenic Area in a heavy downpour.

The five injured were taken to a nearby hospital. The cause of the accident was unknown.

Tourists usually have to pick up minibuses to drive onto the scenic area because the mountain road is too narrow and winding for a sightseeing bus.

(Xinhua News Agency May 21, 2007)