China road collision kills 22

BEIJING (Reuters) - Twenty-two people died in a traffic collision in northern China on Tuesday when a bus and truck slammed into each other, state media reported.

The bus with 23 passengers collided with the truck in Shanxi province early in the morning, Xinhua news agency reported.

Those killed were all on the bus, while the truck driver was "slightly injured and his only passenger was unhurt," the report said. It did not detail the circumstances of the accident and said an investigation was underway.

China's roads have long been perilous due to overloaded and speeding trucks and drivers who switch lanes without signaling, ignore traffic lights and speed down the wrong side of the road.

China recorded 5.1 road accident deaths for every 10,000 motor vehicles last year, the highest rate in the world, Xinhua reported earlier.

Road accidents claimed 81,649 lives nationwide last year in a population of 1.3 billion, 7,806 fewer than in 2006.

(Reporting by Chris Buckley; Editing by Sanjeev Miglani)