Society

Official fired after 11 dead in over-loaded bus plunge

(Xinhua)
Updated: 2010-06-27 16:55

HAIYUAN, Ningxia - Haiyuan county's top traffic regulator has been fired and three others suspended after an over-loaded bus plunged into a ravine, killing 11 people and injuring 31 in northwest China's Ningxia Hui Autonomous Region on Saturday, local authorities said on Sunday.

The 42 people on board the 19-seat bus were on their way to a funeral when the bus veered off a mountain road and plunged into a ravine at 7:43 am Saturday at Haiyuan County, said a spokesman with the county government.

Yang Sendong lost his position as the county's top transportation regulator as a result, while Yang's coworker Ma Jianlin as well as county traffic policemen Jin Wu and Chen Xuping were suspended pending an investigation, said the spokesman.

Thirteen seriously injured were still in a critical condition while the condition of the 18 others was stable as of 9 am Sunday, said Huang Luning, head of the county's People's Hospital.

Among the injured, the youngest was only seven months old and the oldest 77 years old, Huang said.

Initial findings showed the bus belonged to the privately-run Limin Public Transport Co in Haiyuan.