Collisions in Shanxi, Beijing kill 15, injure dozens

Fourteen people were killed and 37 injured in a passenger bus crash in Shanxi province on Tuesday, according to local authorities on Wednesday.

The coach was carrying 51 people when it collided with the Xijiata Tunnel's wall at 2:37 pm on Tuesday on the G59 Expressway in Linfen, Shanxi.

According to a report from Red Star News, the Shanxi Highway Traffic Police confirmed that the vehicle was a tourist coach. A staff member from the Shanxi Provincial Department of Transportation told reporters that the driver of the coach had died and the rescue operation had concluded. The employee added that the road had reopened to traffic.

An investigation into the cause of the accident is underway.

Separately, in Beijing, a man was detained on suspicion of committing a series of hit-and-run accidents that killed one person and injured more than a dozen others on Tuesday evening, the municipal traffic police said on Wednesday.

At around 7:45 pm on Tuesday, a 21-year-old man, surnamed Gao, was driving a minivan on Zhangzizhong Road when he allegedly ran a red light and hit a person riding an electric bicycle.

He then allegedly hit another person on an electric bicycle while attempting to flee the scene.

One minute later, he is said to have collided with several electric bicycle riders waiting at a red light on Kuanjie Road. Police said in a statement that no alcohol or drugs were involved.

As a result of the collisions, 18 people were hospitalized. One person died, while another who sustained severe injuries was in stable condition on Wednesday afternoon, according to reports. Twelve others remain hospitalized, and four others have been discharged.

Du Juan contributed to this story.