International Desk : Fourteen people were killed and 37 others injured after a bus crashed inside an expressway tunnel in northern China, state media reported Wednesday.

The accident occurred shortly after 2:30 pm local time (0630 GMT) Tuesday, state broadcaster CCTV reported, citing local authorities in Shanxi province.

The bus, which was carrying 51 people, rammed into the tunnel`s interior wall, the report said.

State news agency Xinhua confirmed the toll of those killed and injured in a separate report, without providing details on the severity of the survivors` conditions.

The cause of the incident is now under investigation, Xinhua added.

Road accidents are common in China due to a lack of strict safety controls.

In February of last year, 16 people were killed and dozens more injured in a pile-up in central Hunan province.

The month before that, 19 people died and 20 were injured in a road accident in eastern Jiangxi province.

Source: AFP