HANGZHOU - One passenger died and 4 others were injured after an overloaded tourist bus plunged off the side of an expressway in East China's Zhejiang province, local fire authorities said Monday.

The accident happened around 9 pm Sunday on an expressway connecting the cities of Jiaxing and Huzhou, when the bus rammed into the fence and then landed on its side below the expressway, fire fighters in Jiaxing said.

Traffic police found that the 51-seat bus, running from Zhejiang's Cixi city to Suzhou, Anhui province, was carrying more than 80 passengers.

The bus driver said a tire burst caused the accident. The exact cause of the accident is still under investigation.