Eight people were killed and 18 others injured in a major traffic accident in central China's Hunan Province on Saturday.

Local police said yesterday it took place at around 11 AM when a minibus overturned and fell into a river from a seven-meter-high mountain path in the county of Xupu.

Seven people were killed on the spot and another one died on the way to hospital.

The police source said the maximum seating capacity of the minibus was 16, but that it was carrying 32 people when the accident occurred.

An investigation into the exact cause of the accident is underway.

In another development, compensation was announced yesterday for the families of victims of last Monday's accident in north China's Shanxi Province, in which a truck driven by a sleeping driver killed 20 students and one teacher who were jogging on the highway.

Du Tianyun, director of the county's publicity department, said Qinyuan County's civil administration department paid a total of 4.32 million yuan (US$534,000) in damages because the driver's company was unable to afford it at present.

According to Du, each student's family has received 200,000 yuan (US$24,700) and the teacher's family 320,000 yuan (US$39,600).

Whether the haulage firm would repay the county government or not, and if so when, was not reported.

Four badly injured students have been moved to hospitals equipped with better facilities in the provincial capital of Taiyuan, while others hospitalized earlier in Qinyuan have been discharged, said Du.

Police arrested the driver on November 18.

(Xinhua News Agency November 21, 2005)