BEIJING: At least 26 people were killed in separate vehicle accidents in northeastern China on Friday, state media reported.

In Jilin province, a truck and a long-distance bus collided at the entrance to an expressway near the provincial capital Changchun at about 3:00pm (0700 GMT), leaving at least 16 people dead, the official Xinhua news agency said.

The bus could seat 45 passengers but it was not known how many people were on board at the time of the accident, Xinhua said, citing local police spokesman Su Limin.

"An initial investigation found the bus had a flat tyre and crashed through the median barrier on the expressway, colliding with a car first and then the truck, which was carrying paper products," Su said.

Some of the passengers suffered burns and had been taken to hospital, Xinhua said.

Further north in Heilongjiang province, at least 10 people were killed after a truck loaded with sand and a mini-bus collided on an expressway at about 2:00 pm near Jiamusi city, Xinhua said.

Nine passengers travelling in the mini-bus were killed instantly while a tenth died later, the report said.

China's roads are among the most dangerous in the world, with traffic laws widely flouted.

Almost 70,000 people died in road accidents in 2009, or around 190 fatalities a day, according to police statistics.
Agence France-Presse