Three primary school students were killed and two others injured after an overloaded van overturned in north China's Hebei province, local authorities said Monday.

The accident happened at about 7:05 a.m. in the Manchu autonomous county of Qinglong, sources with the county government said.

The driver of the vehicle, a teacher from the Shanshenmiao primary school, was driving his van to the school with 16 students aboard at the time of the accident.

The vehicle, which has a maximum seating capacity of seven people, overturned near the village of Xiawanzi due to slippery road conditions, according to the county government.

The injured students have been sent to a nearby hospital for treatment; police are continuing to investigate the cause of the accident.