When a truck overturned in northwest China's Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region 20 people riding in the back of the vehicle were killed, say local authorities

The accident occurred at about 5:00 AM Friday when the truck with 25 people on board rolled over in the Altun Mountain area of the Ruoqiang County. Twenty people, including the driver, were killed. Three injured passengers are being treated in a local hospital.

The truck belonged to Han Wenming, who was on his way to the Altun Mountain with his father Han Keli, along with 22 peasant workers he'd employed in the neighboring Qinghai Province and the driver. Han Wenming was unhurt but it's unclear whether his father was among the dead or injured.

As the accident occurred in a remote area it took Han sometime to wave down a passing vehicle. Han called the police in the county seat of Ruoqiang which is 700 kilometers away.

The bodies and the injured arrived in Huatugou Township in Qinghai at about 3:00 AM Sunday. Those who died are being kept in a mosque.

The authorities could offer no explanation of Han's business or employment activities. Police are investigating the accident but harsh weather conditions were hindering progress.

In another road accident three people died when a coach carrying 33 passengers was involved in an accident on Monday afternoon near Chaoyangshan town of Panshi, a city in Northeast China's Jilin Province.

The coach overturned killing three passengers and injuring 21, two of them seriously, according to the emergency center of Panshi, where the injured are being treated. The other nine passengers escaped unhurt.

The coach was heading for the Baishan city from Changchun, capital of Jilin. The cause of the accident is under investigation.

(Xinhua News Agency November 28, 2006)