Eight people died on Wednesday morning after a bus veered off the road and fell into a ravine near Longnan City, northwest China's Gansu Province, local police said.

The driver of the 33-seat bus with 33 passengers, Luo Yongshan, was among those killed. Injured passengers have been rushed to two hospitals in Longnan, traffic police unit under the Gansu Provincial Department of Public Security said, but gave no exact number.

The accident occurred near Shuanggou village in Wudu District of Longnan at 7:40 a.m. while the bus was heading for Lueyang County of neighboring Shaanxi Province.

Police were still investigating why the bus lost control. The provincial police department has sent a team led by Zhong Shan, deputy head of the traffic police unit, to assist the investigation.