The families of those killed and injured in a horrific bus accident in Guangxi are receiving counseling from dozens of specialists and volunteers who are available around the clock.

Thirteen people were killed and 76 were injured when two buses collided head-on on a local highway north of Nanning on Saturday morning. Fifty-five people remain in hospital, five with serious injuries.

Drivers of both buses were killed. One bus was operated by Dagang Tourist Transport Co. Ltd. of Guizhou Province had 40 people on board, the other bus carrying 48 people belonged to Chongqing Tourism Auto Service Co. Ltd.

Some 150 medical personnel are caring for the injured and 34 staff from the county government have been recruited to comfort the victims families.

It's the first major accident of the busy holiday period that will see tens of millions of Chinese travel home for Spring Festival which falls on Feb.18.

Representatives of local insurance companies have arrived in Du'an where they will conduct an investigation and arrange for compensation of the victims.

Local traffic police are still investigating the cause of the accident.

(Xinhua News Agency February 5, 2007)