Fourteen people died in a traffic accident in Lichuan, a city in central China's Hubei Province, on Wednesday morning.

Another 40 or more were injured, nine of whom are in critical condition, local police said.

The accident occurred at about 6:50 AM on state highway 318 in Moudao Township.

A bus traveling from Wenling, a city in east China's Zhejiang Province, crashed through the guardrails and careened down a 100-meter slope.

The bus driver Song Fuming and bus owner Chen Xingming, both from Chongqing Municipality, are two of the injured.

Investigations into the cause of the accident are underway.

(Xinhua News Agency August 25, 2005)