At least seven people were confirmed dead and four others were injured when a heavy-duty truck collided with a minivan Tuesday in southwest China's Guizhou Province, the local government said.

Two of the injured were still in critical condition in hospital as of 9 p.m., said Yuan Yunlin, deputy head of the second branch of the People's Hospital of Qianxi County, where the accident occurred.

All the victims were aboard the minivan, which had seats for six passengers, but was carrying least 11 people, said a spokesman with the provincial traffic management bureau.

He said the accident happened at around 8 a.m. Tuesday on an expressway linking the provincial capital Guiyang with Bijie Region in the west of the province.

The minivan started its trip at 4 a.m. to avoid a safety check. Passengers boarded the vehicle from different sites of Guiyang City, police said.

"The minivan suddenly ran laterally on the icy road and hit my truck with one side," said Chen Haishi, the truck driver.

Investigators have blamed the accident on heavy fog, which blanketed most parts of Guizhou Province Tuesday morning and will persist until Wednesday.

(Xinhua News Agency December 24, 2008)