TAIYUAN - At least six people died on Saturday after a bus collided with a car and veered off an expressway in Shanxi province, according to rescuers.

The accident happened at around 4:40 pm on a section of Taijiu Highway in Pingding county of Yangquan city, rescuers said.

The bus, carrying 21 passengers, smashed through a barrier after crashing into the car and tumbled onto a road beneath the highway, they said.

Three people aboard the bus and another three in the car died on the spot, they said.

Rescue efforts are underway and the exact number of casualties is still being calculated.

When the tragedy occurred, the bus was en route to the city of Dalian in northern Liaoning Province from Shanxi's capital city of Taiyuan.