Five Germans Die in China Bus Crash

A tourist bus burst into flames after crashing into a container truck near the Chinese capital on Monday, killing six people including five Germans, state media reported.

The official Xinhua news agency cited police in the port city of Tianjin, southeast of Beijing, as saying the accident occurred on an expressway linking the capital with the commercial hub of Shanghai.

A Chinese person was also among the dead in the accident that injured 14 people, Xinhua said.

The accident comes on China's National Day when the country's roads are full of travelers returning to their hometowns during the week-long Golden Week holiday.

The entire bus was engulfed in flames after the crash, with witnesses cited by Xinhua saying they had seen a few passengers escaping the fire.

The bus passengers were part of a tour group organized by the Beijing-based China Youth Travel Service, Xinhua said.

The German foreign ministry said that "at least four Germans" had died in the accident, while there were a total of 19 Germans on board the bus.

The German embassy in Beijing has sent staff to Tianjin to deal with the accident, Xinhua said. The embassy was closed on Monday and could not be reached for comment.

China's roads are notoriously dangerous, with traffic laws and safety widely flouted. More than 62,000 people died in traffic accidents last year, according to official statistics.