Eleven people were confirmed dead and 12 others were injured when a truck hit a tractor in northwest China's Ningxia Hui Autonomous Region on Sunday, police said on Monday.

The head-on collision occurred at around 7:20 AM Sunday in Zhongning County in the city of Zhongwei, killing five on the spot, said the county's police authorities.

Six others died on their way to the hospital.

Police are chasing the truck driver Jin Wenhua, a native of Zhongning County who fled after the accident.

Ha Guoyin, the tractor driver, is among the 12 injured who are being treated at the county hospital.

Police have launched an investigation.

(Xinhua News Agency September 17, 2007)