Thirty-six people were killed and 36 injured in a serious traffic accident on Saturday on the Changchun-Shenzhen Expressway in Yixing, Jiangsu province, local police said in a statement on Sunday.

At about 7 am on Saturday, a northbound bus carrying 69 people broke through the barrier separating the northbound and southbound lanes and drove into the opposite lane, colliding with a southbound truck carrying three people.

By 4 pm on Saturday, the accident had claimed 36 lives with another 36 injured. The injured were sent to a hospital in Yixing for treatment. Nine were seriously injured, 26 sustained slight injuries and one was discharged from hospital, according to the statement.

The road has been reopened to traffic. After a preliminary investigation, police found that the accident was caused by a flat tire on the left front wheel of the bus.

Local authorities launched an emergency response effort after the accident, and medical experts were sent to Yixing to help treat the wounded.

A group initiated by the ministries of emergency management, public security, and transport arrived in the city on Saturday evening to guide efforts at the accident scene and organize the investigation.