Society

Death toll climbs to 7 in central China bus plunge

(Xinhua)
Updated: 2010-03-01 15:30

ZHENGZHOU: The death toll has climbed to seven and another six people were still missing after a bus plunged into a reservoir in central China's Henan province Sunday, the local government said Monday.

By midday Monday, seven people had been saved, the city government of the provincial capital Zhengzhou said in a press release.

Of the seven survivors, four were seriously injured and the other three suffered slight injuries. The survivors were being treated at Zhengzhou No. 2 People's Hospital.

The bus en route from Zhengzhou to Xinmi City veered off the slippery road amid sleet in the suburbs of Zhengzhou and plunged into the Jiangang Reservoir at around 6 pm Sunday.

It was carrying 20 people -- including 18 passengers, a driver and a conductor -- upon its departure from the Zhengzhou Southern Bus Terminal, but it was not immediately known if anyone else got on or off the bus along the way.

The bus was pulled from the water at 4 am Monday, and then towed away for investigation, according to the press release.