At least three Chinese tourists were killed and an unidentified number of others injured when their bus collided with a van near Johannesburg on Wednesday afternoon, the Chinese Embassy in South Africa confirmed.

The accident happened in Northwest Province. The bus, which was carrying a group of 20 Chinese tourists and a Chinese tour guide, was on its way back to Johannesburg from its north-western tourist attraction Sun City when the bukkie ran head-on with it, according to the Walk Through Africa Tours (WTAT), a travel agency which arranged the tour.

The WTAT manager said the Beijing-departed tour group landed in Johannesburg on Wednesday morning and was scheduled to stay for six days.

According to information gathered at the scene, at least three tourists were killed in the accident, two on the spot and one when transferred to Johannesburg by a rescue helicopter, said a Chinese official assisting the rescue.

Meanwhile, other passengers suffered from injuries at various levels, with at least 3 severely injured.

The severely injures were sent back to Johannesburg by helicopter, while some others were sent to nearby BRITS hospitals, said Pan Peng, counselor of Chinese Embassy to South Africa.

Two witnesses at the scene said the bukkie collided with the bus when trying to overtake another vehicle on the road. It appeared that the driver was drunk.

It remained unknown whether the bukkie driver was injured or killed.

Police were still investigating the cause of the accident.

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