Speeding on an icy road caused an overloaded bus to roll off a highway late on Sunday night in east China's Anhui province, killing 11 people and injuring 51 others, local police said on Wednesday.

The combination of excessive speed and slick surfaces caused the driver to lose control of the vehicle, which fell six meters to the ground after veering off the road, said an official surnamed Li, who is with the Anhui Provincial General Detachment of Traffic Police.

Some of the less injured have been discharged from hospitals and the rest were in stable condition, said Li.

Bus driver Gao Hongbiao, who was uninjured, has been arrested. Police are investigating his role in the accident, which happened at 11 p.m. on Sunday.

Gao, who was at the wheel of the bus with 72 people aboard, 21 more than allowed, attempted to avoid colliding head-on with another vehicle on an icy section of National Highway No. 104 in Mingguang City.

Seven people were declared dead at the scene and four others died later in the hospital.

The bus, which was en route from Suzhou City in neighboring Jiangsu Province to Fuyang City in Anhui, belongs to the Fuyang Autotransport (Group) Co., Ltd., according to the transportation administration of Mingguang City.

The passengers were mostly migrant workers who were going home for the coming Spring Festival, which falls on Feb. 7.

(Xinhua News Agency January 23, 2008)