Truck accidents kill at least 16 people in China

At least 16 people have died in two accidents involving heavily loaded trucks in southern China, according to local media on Saturday.

At the start of the May Day holiday, two people were killed and three injured early Saturday morning when three trucks collided on an expressway in southernmost Hainan Province, state news agency Xinhua reported.

Of the victims, four had to be rescued from severely damaged cabins, with two dying at the scene and two suffering critical injuries.

Meanwhile, 14 people were killed and more than 10 others wounded Friday when a truck carrying stones overturned and rolled over a one-story building in southwestern Guizhou Province.

China Radio International cited the Work Safety Administration as saying late Saturday that brake failure had caused the accident, in which the truck ran into a crowd waiting to attend a village meeting.

At least 16 dead in truck accidents in China's south - 14 killed after truck carrying stones rolls over village building in Guizhou; 2 dead after 3 trucks collide in Hainan.

In China, the three-day May Day period sees heavy traffic on the country's roadways.