Five people were killed after a bus collided with a truck Sunday night on a highway in central China's Henan province, according to sources with the Xuchang Public Security bureau.

The accident occurred at about 10 p.m., Sunday when a truck collided with a bus on a section of the Xuchang-Pingdingshan-Nanyang highway running through Xuchang county.

Several people were injured in the collision, although a precise figure has yet to be released.

Rescuers said the truck swerved toward a highway median and collided with the bus. The cause of the accident is still under investigation.

About 70,000 people are killed and 300,000 others injured on China's roads every year, according to the Ministry of Public Security.

The ministry held an emergency meeting last week to order the deployment of more traffic police and more roadside checkpoints to ensure safe travel during the Spring Festival holiday travel rush, which began on Sunday.