All the injured were rushed to local hospitals for emergency treatment.

Chinese President Hu Jintao has expressed his grave concern over the accident and urged Chinese departments to help the US authorities treat the injured and deal with the aftermath of the accident, said sources with the Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs Tuesday.

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Ministry of Education are now handling the issue.

Staffs from the Chinese embassy in Washington and consulate-general in New York have rushed to the scene to find out more about the crash and visit the injured.

At the invitation of Utah State University, 13 people from colleges in Hunan Province were touring US educational facilities, said Chinese embassy councilor Zhang Jianqing, according to Xinhua.

They were going to Buffalo to attend an activity in New York State after their stay on campus.

The minibus with the Chinese nationals on board overturned in Montgomery County, Pennsylvania.

The police attributed the accident to the freezing weather and icy roads. Snow had fallen in Montgomery County for a whole day, leaving slush on the road.

But the crash is still under investigation.

The group reportedly started its journey towards New York State after eating at a fast food restaurant. But the minibus suddenly lost control en route and plunged off the road into a valley after crashing into a tree.

Rescuers had to cut out the cabin of the bus to pull out the people inside.

According to local police, most of the passengers on board could not speak English, which greatly hampered the rescue work.

After receiving news of the accident, the Bureau of Education in Hunan Province held an urgent meeting to discuss the emergency.

A local official who declined to be named said they had not spoken with the injured people yet because of the time difference between China and the United States.

The official said the identities of the victims would be made public later.

(China Daily April 9, 2003)