The collision of two buses killed six people and injured a further 16 in Hotan City in northwest China's Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region early Friday, an official said.

The collision happened at 3:40 a.m., involving a bus without any passengers and another bus with a driver, a bus company employee and 41 passengers, an official with Hotan Municipal Government said. He said the driver of the first bus was named Osman while the other driver was named Mukhtar. No further details were released.

A total of four people died and 18 were injured at the scene, two of whom died after failing to response to medical treatment in hospital, the official said.

An investigation into the cause of the accident is underway.

(Xinhua News Agency September 4, 2009)