2 children killed in E. China bus accident

JINAN - Two children were killed and three others injured after their bus overturned into a ditch in East China's Shandong province Friday afternoon, local authorities said on Sunday.

The bus, carrying more than a dozen students of a local kindergarten, ran off the road and overturned in a ditch at about 4:30 pm in the township of Jiangzhuang in the city of Gaomi, according to the city's publicity department.

Five children were injured in the accident, with three in critical condition, the department said.

Two children died in the hospital on Saturday. Another injured child who is still in critical condition is receiving treatment at the local hospital, it said.

The bus, not a school bus, was being used temporarily to help pick up children from the kindergarten, according to an initial investigation by the local government.

Slippery roads and poor visibility due to rain were blamed for the accident, according to the investigation.

The owner of the bus and a teacher who was aboard the bus are under police custody.