CHANGSHA - A bus loaded with nearly 50 people fell off a cliff in the city of Yongzhou in central China's Hunan province Thursday afternoon, leaving at least two people dead, local authorities said.

Although the precise number of passengers is not yet known, the municipal government has confirmed that almost 50 people were riding the bus at the time of the accident.

Most of the passengers were students bound for a school in Yongzhou's Daxian county, where they were scheduled to attend an exam.

Several passengers were seriously injured and sent to a local hospital. The number of casualties is not yet known.

The director of the municipal work safety administration is en route to the scene of the accident.