At least eight people were killed and five others injured in a traffic accident in south China's Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region, said the region's work safety watchdog Thursday.

The accident occurred at around 7 AM Thursday when two four-wheel farming vehicles collided on a road near Baimin Village,Tian'e County, a mountainous area neighboring southwestern Guizhou Province, according to the Guangxi Work Safety Administration.

Five people were killed on the spot and three others died later in hospital. Another five injured are in hospital for treatment, the administration said.

The two vehicles, one from Guangxi and the other from Guizhou, were badly damaged, it said.

The region's public security officials and traffic police have rushed to the site to deal with the aftermath and investigate the cause of the accident.

(Xinhua News Agency April 21, 2006)