A bus carrying 36 people plunged off the road Thursday afternoon in Fufeng County, northwest China's Shaanxi Province, killing 23 and injuring 13.

The bus set off from Xi'an, the provincial capital, to Baoji City of the province.

At about 2:00 pm, the bus failed to take a corner on a cliff in Fufeng County and plunged down 20 meters to a local farmer's courtyard, killing 14 people instantly, according to police.

A further nine people died when receiving treatment at the hospital. Of the dead, three were children, two boys and one girl, and the remaining adults were 10 men and 10 women.

Other injured people were still under treatment, police said.

(Xinhua News Agency August 28, 2003)