A bus driver is being blamed for a fatal accident that killed 19 people in northeastern Heilongjiang Province, said local authorities on Friday.

Wang Yuliang, driver of bus L49970, did not have a license for driving bus.

Police also found that there were 46 people on board when the accident happened Thursday afternoon. The capacity of the bus was 42.

A sedan bumped into the rail on the icy Harbin-Tongjiang expressway. It was hit then by two trucks. The drivers later set up five warning signs along the road.

Wang, who police said was driving too fast, collided with one of the trucks.

Twenty-seven people were injured and hospitalized, including Wang, who was not in life-threatening condition, doctors said.

The local government ordered a thorough inspection be carried out in the province to ensure road safety.

(Xinhua News Agency March 20, 2009)