Bus in China Falls Off Bridge, Killing 14

March 14, 2013

Chinese authorities say 14 people were killed after a sleeper bus fell off a bridge in central Hubei province.

Hubei Highway Police said on its microblog Tuesday night that the bus went off a bridge spanning the Yangtze River in the city of Jingzhou and crashed into a river beach, killing 14 and injuring eight more.

Police say a preliminary investigation shows the driver operated the bus improperly when avoiding a motorcycle but does not give more details.

Police say the bus carried 22 people at the time of the crash.

Road accidents are common in China because of poor road conditions and bad driving habits. Death tolls often are high because of widespread use of buses as an inexpensive option by China’s vast number of migrant workers.