Police in central Hubei Province said 23 people are confirmed dead after a rear-end collision Monday morning.

The death toll was earlier mistaken for 26 as the bodies of the victims were badly burnt in the accident and difficult to identify, said a spokesman with the Hubei traffic police headquarters, who also said 29 suffered injuries, two less than what was previously reported.

The accident occurred at about 3:50 a.m. after a long-distance bus was hit by a truck from the behind on the Xiantao section of the Suizhou-Yueyang expressway, according to the spokesman.

Both vehicles ran off guardrails of the expressway and caught fire.

The bus, operated by Wuhan Hailong Tourism Bus Company, was carrying 52 passengers, including five children, bound for Tianmen City from southern Guangdong Province.

Casualties emerged from both the bus and the truck, as the truck driver died at the scene, said the spokesman, adding that whether any children died in the accident remains unclear.

The injured passengers have been sent to nearby hospitals, with three in critical condition.

Police are investigating the cause of the accident.