The death toll from a bus accident in southern Guangdong Province rose to twelve after another injured passenger has been confirmed dead in hospital, the Guangdong-based New Express Daily reported on Tuesday.

The speeding bus rear-ended a tanker at 1:45 a.m. on Jan 7 and then careered into another bus coming the other way on an expressway in Zhanjiang.

Ten people died instantly and 39 others, including the driver of the first bus surnamed Feng, were injured, 11 seriously. In the evening the same day, one of the injured died in hospital.

A combination of overloading, speeding and driver fatigue was blamed for the accident.

The Guangxi-registered bus was approved to hold 39 passengers but it had 57 on board when the accident happened, according to traffic police.

The driver Feng is under police surveillance in hospital.

(Xinhua News Agency January 15, 2008)