A bus-truck collision killed 17 people and injured 33 others on a freeway in south China's Guangdong Province early Saturday morning.

 

All the injured people, including one seriously-injured person, are in a stable condition, according to local authorities.

 

The bus crashed into a parked truck at 1:10 AM Saturday. The truck, carrying a heavy load of ore, had pulled over on the freeway near Shaoguan City to repair a tyre problem. Fifteen passengers were killed at the site and two others died in hospital.

 

The heavily-laden truck was from central Hunan Province, while the coach was on its way to Shangqiu City in Henan Province, according to Shaoguan City traffic police.

 

The truck driver has been blamed for repairing the vehicle without erecting a warning sign, said the official.

 

Investigation of the accident is underway.

 

(Xinhua News Agency August 27, 2006)