At least 11 people died and two others were missing after a coach collided with a van and plunged into a river in central China's Hunan Province on Friday morning.

The accident occurred at 9:40 AM in Tankou Village, Sangzhi County, when a coach, heading from the southern city of Shenzhen, Guangdong Province, to the southwestern Chongqing Municipality, smashed into a van and then plunged into a river 15 meters below the road, a county government spokesman said.

According to an initial investigation, the coach, licensed to carry a maximum of 45 passengers, had 33 people aboard when the accident occurred.

Rescuers recovered 11 bodies and saved 20 people who were now in hospital.

More than 100 people, including local government officials and villagers, took part in the rescue. The search continues for two missing people.

An investigation into the cause of the accident is underway.

(Xinhua News Agency March 29, 2008)