Two traffic accidents, which happened yesterday and on Friday respectively in Northeast China's Heilongjiang Province, killed 12 people and injured 58.

In the accident yesterday four people were killed and 26 others injured when a bus hit a truck on an expressway in Heilongjiang Province early yesterday.

The tragedy occurred at 1:30 AM, on a freeway that links the provincial capital Harbin with the city of Shuangcheng, said Wang Shusen, a traffic police officer in Harbin.

He said it was foggy at the time and visibility was down to less than 20 metres.

The bus was en route from Shenyang, capital of Liaoning Province, to Yichun, when it hit the truck that was loaded with wood. The bus driver was killed instantly.

"There was a loud bang, but we couldn't see anything in darkness," said Chen Yubo, a passenger who was being treated at the People's Hospital in Shuangcheng. "People around me were sobbing and crying. After a while, we were all taken to hospital."

Wang Zhiwei, a surgeon, said his hospital had received 12 injured passengers, one of whom was still in critical condition.

The cause of the accident is under investigation.

Another accident occurred on Friday on the highway from Dalian, a port city in Liaoning Province, to Heihe, Heilongjiang Province, killing eight people instantly and injuring 32.

Four women and four men were killed, including three Russian tourists.

Deputy director of the Emergency Centre of the Heihe Public Security Bureau, who only gave the surname Zhao, told China Daily in a telephone interview that it was a "major incident" as it involved so many deaths and injuries.

The accident happened at about 8:10 pm, when a bus collided with a tractor-drawn trailer loaded with sand.

According to Zhao, the tractor driver had abandoned the trailer because it had a flat tyre. With no warning signs in place, the discarded trailer was an accident waiting to happen.

Soon after, the bus, carrying some 50 people, at high speed in low-visibility conditions hit the trailer head on.

The bus span out of control for a further 100 metres before it rolled over and finally came to rest in a roadside trench.

The vehicle was severely damaged with many trapped inside.

"The whole scene was like something out of hell, people weeping, blood and broken glasses everywhere," recalled Zhao, who arrived shortly after the accident happened.

All the people aboard were immediately taken to a local hospital for treatment.

Li Xinjun, the tractor driver, was found and detained, and it was later discovered that, Li, a local farmer, did not have a driver's licence.

"He is responsible for the accident and may face imprisonment of at least three years," Zhao said.

According to Zhao, the bus driver, who was slightly injured, may also be charged for speeding.

"Otherwise, the bus would not have continued for another 100 metres before it rolled over into the trench," he said.

Zhao said that all the victims' families had been informed.

(China Daily August 8, 2005)