At least 21 people were killed and 10 others injured Friday when two vehicles collided in southern Russia's Rostov Region, news agencies reported.

The bus and tanker truck collided when the truck crossed into the oncoming lane at 12:48 Moscow time (0848 GMT), about 60 km from the regional capital of Rostov-on-Don, RIA Novosti reported.

Two children and both drivers were among the casualties, and five of the injured were in critical condition, hospital officials said.

"The bus turned into a pile of scrap metal," a local police spokesman said. "The injured have been taken away by ambulance. A search for other survivors is underway."

Earlier reports said there may have been up to 45 people on the bus.

The accident as the second major road mishap this week involving a bus. Eight people were killed and 38 others injured early Monday in a bus accident in the Novosibirsk region of Siberia.

(Xinhua News Agency July 24, 2009)