GUIYANG - A minivan's fall off a cliff in Southwest China's Guizhou province on Saturday has left five people dead and three others injured.

The accident happened around 11:20 am when a minivan carrying eight people plunged 100 meters down a cliff near Wugu village in Qianxinan prefecture, said officials and rescuers at the site.

They said three passengers, including one toddler, were injured as they were flung out of the vehicle before it fell off the mountain road, while the five remaining in the minivan were immediately killed.

The cause of the accident is under investigation.