Eleven passengers were killed when their bus veered off a mountain road into a ravine in Henan Province on Friday, local government officials said.

The accident occurred at about 2 p.m. when the bus carrying 34 people veered off the road on Shaoshan Mountain, Mianchi County in Sanmenxia City,the county government said.

Seven people died on the spot and four others died while being treated.

The condition of the other 23 passengers, who were hospitalized, was not known.

Rescuers were still trying to lift the bus from the ravine and the cause of the accident was being investigated.

The government said the bus was not overloaded.

(Xinhua News Agency August 15, 2008)