Five people were confirmed dead and three injured when a speeding Citroen dashed into an irrigation ditch in central Hubei Province on Thursday, the first day of the Chinese Year of the Rat, the local government reported.

The Citroen was packed with eight people who were going home after extending festival greetings to their relatives in Zhanggou Township of Xiantao City, said a spokesman with the city government.

He said the driver, a villager surnamed Liu from the neighboring Huchang Township, was apparently driving too fast and missed a T-shaped crossroad. The car dashed into the ditch at around 10:00 pm.

Liu was among the five dead.

The three injured were hospitalized for the night and were allowed to go home on Friday.

The city government has launched an investigation.

(Xinhua News Agency February 9, 2008)