12 dead in China road accident

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BEIJING, Feb. 7 (UPI) -- A vehicle ran off a mountain cliff in southwest China's Yunnan province, killing at least 12 people and injuring three more, authorities said.

The incident occurred Wednesday afternoon in Wumeng town near the provincial capital of Kunming, Xinhua News Agency reported Thursday.

No other details were immediately available.

Road accident fatalities jump in China during the Spring Festival holiday rush to observe the Lunar New Year, which this year falls on Sunday. It is the busiest travel period in the country with millions of people heading to family reunions and celebrations.

At least 58 people died just last weekend in different accidents, including 10 people killed after fireworks exploded on a truck, causing the partial collapse of a highway bridge and cars to tumble down.

This year, 3.4 billion people were expected to travel during the holidays, with most of them traveling by bus and an estimated 225 million by train.