6 China officials die in car crash

Six officials from Xinmi City of central China's Henan Province died in a car crash early Sunday morning, local authorities said. The accident happened at about 0:40 a.m. when an MPV they were in collided with a slag car at a crossing in Xinmi City, according to a statement from the publicity department of Sanmenxia City, which administers Xinmi City. Six officials, including the chairman of the Xinmi municipal committee of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference, a Standing Committee member of the Communist Party of China Xinmi Municipal Committee and a deputy head of Xinmi municipal government, died at the scene, according to the statement. Another official from the municipal land and resources bureau was injured and is receiving treatment at a local hospital, it said. The officials arrived in the provincial capital city of Zhengzhou from a business tour in southeast China's Fujian Province on Saturday. They decided to return overnight to Xinmi City to attend a government meeting scheduled for Sunday morning, according to the statement. The cause of the accident is under investigation.