Overturned truck carrying stones kills 14 in China

BEIJING – A roadside activity centre in southern China was crushed by stones from an overturned truck, leaving 14 people dead, authorities said Saturday.

Friday’s accident in the southern province of Guizhou was apparently caused by the failure of the truck’s brakes, leading it to flip over and dump its cargo, the central government’s State Administration of Work Safety said on its website.

The incident occurred on the eve of the three-day May Day holiday, during which millions of Chinese are expected to travel within China and abroad. Traffic police in recent days have been cracking down on overloading, poorly maintained vehicles and drunk driving in an effort to stem the carnage regularly seen on Chinese highways during public holidays.

Those efforts have been intensified with the rise of private car ownership among China’s growing middle class. Official statistics say China now boasts more than 172 million passenger cars, not including millions more busses, trucks and official vehicles.