Eleven people were confirmed dead in a bus explosion early Thursday in Tianzhu County, southwest China's Guizhou Province, local sources said.

Information from Tianzhu County Commission of Work Safety said a passenger bus carrying a plate number H-A3598 just left the terminal in the county seat of Tianzhu but exploded around 7:05 AM near the eastern gate of the county seat.

Preliminary investigation shows that six people were killed on the spot, 20 more were injured and later rushed to the local hospital for medical treatment. Five died at the hospital.

It is unknown how many people were aboard the ill-fated bus when the explosion took place.

Cause of the explosion is being investigated.

Tianzhu is a far-flung, mountainous county that borders Hunan Province in central China.

(Xinhua News Agency August 3, 2006)