ZHENGZHOU - A truck smashed through a median and collided with a bus Sunday night leaving seven dead and 32 injured on a highway in central China's Henan province, local authorities said.

The accident occurred at approximately 10:45 pm on a section of the Xuchang-Pingdingshan-Nanyang highway in Xuchang county, the publicity department of Xuchang City said in a statement.

About 70,000 are killed and 300,000 injured on China's roads every year, according to the Ministry of Public Security.

The ministry held an emergency meeting last week to order the deployment of more traffic police and roadside checkpoints to ensure safe travel during the Spring Festival holiday travel rush, which began Sunday.