Twenty two bodies have been found in a river where a bus crashed in Hongya County of southwest China's Sichuan Province on July 20, leaving four survivors.

The 29-seat bus fell into Qingyijiang River, which is about 10 meters deep. The bus was carrying 21 passengers when it set off from Leshan City of Sichuan, but it was unclear how many people were aboard when the accident occurred.

Officials from the local governments rushed to the site to direct rescue work, which was hampered by raging floodwater.

According to traffic departments, the accident was caused by the driver's error.

The salvage work has ended and the dead have been identified.

(Xinhua News Agency July 31, 2003)