Road wreck kills seven in China

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BEIJING, Dec. 31 (UPI) -- A minibus and a sport utility vehicle collided head-on on a highway in China, leaving seven people dead and another five injured, authorities said.

The accident occurred Sunday on National Highway 106 near Xianning city in central China's Hubei province, Xinhua News Agency reported. A local government official said icy conditions and sleet contributed to the collision.

The seven who died at the scene included two children. It was not known if the fatalities were all from one vehicle or both. The injured were taken to a nearby hospital but the extent of their injuries or their condition was not immediately known.

In another highway road wreck last Thursday in southwestern China's Sichuan province, at least seven people died and 14 more were injured in a bus-truck collision, police said. The accident occurred near Meishan city in the province. The cause of that accident was being investigated.