Two people died and 17 were injured when a truck crashed into a three-wheeled tractor loaded with peasant workers in north China's Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region Wednesday, a local safety official said.

The accident happened at around 5 a.m. on a country road in a small town called "Horqin Left Wing Middle Banner" in Tongliao City, said Zhou Shulin, an official with the regional production safety bureau in Hohhot.

Motorized tricycles with cargo trailers are commonly used to transport goods and people in China's rural areas.

Zhou said the tractor had stopped at roadside. "It was very dark and the truck driver probably didn't see it."

The 17 injured were being treated at a local hospital in Tongliao. One of them was in critical condition.

An investigation has been launched.