WUHAN - Seven people were dead Sunday after a van fell off a river embankment in central China's Hubei Province, said local authorities.

The accident happened around 4:20 pm when a van fell about 10 meters off a section of the Yangtze River Embankment, after it collided with a light truck on the Wujindi Road in the provincial capital of Wuhan, said a spokesman with the Wuhan City Public Security Bureau.

Five people on the van died at the scene, while two others died later at hospital, said the spokesman.

The cause of the accident is under investigation.