A bus plunged into a stream of a lake, leaving 12 people dead and 21 others injured in east Zhejiang Province in the wee hours of Friday.

The bus was carrying over 40 passengers on a state highway to Chun'an County at around 3:30 am Friday when it suddenly overturned and plunged into a 30-meter-deep stream of Qiandao Lake Reservoir. Eleven people were killed at the scene and 22 others injured. One of the two badly injured died at noon Friday.

Leading officials from Zhejiang province and Hangzhou city and a 120-member rescue team have rushed to the spot for rescue and relief operations. The cause of the road tragedy is under investigation.

(Xinhua News Agency January 17, 2004)