Eleven people were killed and 51 others were injured on Sunday when an overloaded bus rolled over on a highway in the eastern province of Anhui, local government officials said on Monday.

The injured were in stable condition, according to the provincial publicity department.

The accident happened at 11:27 a.m. when a bus carrying 72 people, 21 more than allowed, overturned on a highway in Mingguang City. Seven people were declared dead at the scene and four others died later in the hospital.

The bus, which was traveling from Suzhou City in neighboring Jiangsu Province to Fuyang City in Anhui, belongs to the Fuyang Autotransport (Group) Co., Ltd., according to the transportation administration of Mingguang City.

Investigation into the cause of the accident is under way.

(Xinhua News Agency January 21, 2008)