12 people die when van crashes into back of parked truck in Sichuan

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All 12 people on a van that plowed into the back of a stationary truck on Sunday afternoon in Yuechi county, Guang'an, Sichuan province, have died, as the last two survivors died in a hospital later that day.

"The cause of the accident is still under investigation," said Huang Jinsheng, deputy chief of the Sichuan Provincial Work Safety Bureau, who is in charge of the investigation group of the Sichuan provincial government.

At around 1:30 pm on Sunday afternoon, the van ran into the truck. Ten people on the van were killed instantly.

"The two people who were severely injured died in a hospital," said Wang Hong, director of the Guang'an city government information office.

Wang said that victims included the van driver, Tan Qingju, 36; his wife, Chen Rongying, 36; and their two daughters, aged 11 and 7.

"The owner, Tan Qingju, had recently purchased the van, and it had a temporary permit," Wang said. The other eight victims came from three families.

All the victims were locals of Chashan village, Wuxi county, in neighboring Chongqing municipality.

The adult victims worked on furniture production in the suburbs of Chengdu, the capital of Sichuan.

Their children had spent the summer vacation with their parents.

"Because school begins in early September, their parents had sent them home on the van," Wang said.

Of the victims, seven were 8 to 16 years old, he said.

Questions:

1. How many died?

2. In what province was the accident?

3. Where did the victims come from?

Answers:

1. 12.

2. Sichuan.

3. Chongqing.

About the broadcaster:

Lee Hannon is Chief Editor at China Daily with 15-years experience in print and broadcast journalism. Born in England, Lee has traveled extensively around the world as a journalist including four years as a senior editor in Los Angeles. He now lives in Beijing and is happy to move to China and join the China Daily team.