Seventeen people were killed and 22 others were injured in a traffic accident in southern China early on the first day of the annual Lunar New Year travel surge, police said.

The accident occurred in Jiangxi province outside the city of Nanchang, according to the local traffic management brigade. The reason was being investigated, and it was unclear how many vehicles were involved or what types were involved, the brigade said.

China Road Accident Kills 17 People

A resident was quoted by the website Jimu News as saying that the victims were mourners from the village of Taoling who had erected a funeral tent on the side of the road, as is customary in rural China, and were struck by a passing truck as they prepared to travel to the local crematorium in the morning.

Several of the dead were her neighbors, the lady, named only by her surname, Deng, told the Hubei Daily website, which is situated in a nearby province. Jimu cited an unnamed villager as corroborating this account, adding that the scene had already been cleaned up. According to The Independent, the condition of the injured people was still unknown.

In the past, the incidence of major traffic accidents, which were frequently caused by drowsy drivers and badly maintained or overweight cars, has decreased due to stricter restrictions.

During the holiday, China's most significant for family reunions, when tens of millions of migrant workers return to their hometowns, enforcement operations on the condition of cars and drivers and the number of passengers are redoubled.

With the termination of the majority of COVID-19 limitations, the number of such visits is likely to quadruple this year to more than two billion between January 22 and the end of the weeklong festival season.

According to Jimu, a local news agency connected with the state-owned Hubei Daily Media Group, the accident occurred when a truck crashed with a funeral procession. A lady informed the publication that people had left a roadside offering for the deceased before going to visit the cremation on Sunday morning.

The majority of those killed and injured, according to the report, were funeral attendants, SCMP reported. Another local, surnamed Gong, informed the news site that his wife had died in the accident and that they were at the burial.

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China Lacks of Safety Traffic Regulations

According to him, the vehicle abruptly smashed into the rear of the line, ripping through the gathering before reaching the hearse. A little over an hour after the collision was reported, the traffic police of Nanchang county advised motorists that the region was suffering "foggy weather."

It stated, "Driving vision is poor and visibility is low, which can easily lead to traffic accidents." Accidents on the road are widespread in China due to the absence of stringent safety regulations.

One person was killed in a highway pileup in central China last month, which included hundreds of vehicles and was caused by poor visibility due to fog. In September, 27 people were killed when a bus carrying them to quarantine facilities in Guizhou province's southern region overturned on a highway.

Per VOA News, accidents on the road are widespread in China due to the absence of stringent safety regulations. One person was killed in a highway pileup in central China last month, which included hundreds of vehicles and was caused by poor visibility due to fog.

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