Seven villagers were killed and eight were injured in a road accident in the southwestern part of central China's Hubei Province on Thursday.

A farm vehicle with 15 farmers aboard suddenly slammed into a roadside protective shield when it was approaching a rural highway bend around 5 p.m.in Jianshi County. All onboard were thrown into a ditch about 5 meters below the road surface, local sources said.

The villagers from Jingyang Township were returning home after attending a funeral for a rural household in a neighboring township.

Five people were killed at the site, and two others died on the way to the hospital. The other eight passengers, including the driver, were injured.

The farm vehicle, a four-wheeled unlicensed machine, was totally destroyed in the accident.

All the injured were hospitalized.

(Xinhua News Agency June 13, 2008)