Two children were killed and 15 others injured when a kindergarten school bus slammed into a truck in south China's Guangdong province, local authorities said Monday.

The accident happened at about 4 p.m. in the city of Yangchun, according to publicity officials in the city.

Both of the two deceased are female students, and the injured had been rushed to two local hospitals, sources with Yangchun's information office said.

An initial investigation showed that the school bus, with a loading capacity of 11, was carrying 19 people, including 17 children, the driver and a teacher, according to the sources.

Public security authorities decided that the school bus, which belongs to the Jinlong Yucai Kindergarten, was overloading when the accident occurred.

A further investigation into the cause of the accident is under way.