A total of 27 people were killed and another six injured in a highway accident Friday afternoon in Ansai County, Yan'an City of northwest China's Shaanxi Province.

At around 5:40 pm Friday, a bus belonging to Yan'an City Transport Company Traffic drove out of the road when meeting with an oil tanker van and plunged into the ravine at the roadside, killing 21 of 33 passengers on the bus instantly, said local traffic police sources.

Six other seriously wounded also died later in hospital.

The remaining six were still hospitalized and the cause of the accident was under further investigations.

(Xinhua News Agency August 23, 2003)