The death toll from two traffic collisions in northeast China Friday has risen to 27, with 36 injured, local authorities said.

In Jilin Province, a truck and a long-distance bus collided at the entrance to an expressway near the provincial capital, Changchun, at about 2:50 PM, triggering a fire and leaving at least 17 people dead and 35 injured, according to the traffic police authority.

Three of the victims were in the truck and the rest were aboard the bus.

The injured people have been rushed to hospitals.

The seating capacity of the bus was 45 but the number of people aboard the bus at the time of the collision was not immediately known.

Witnesses said some people aboard the bus were burned by the ensuing fire.

An initial investigation found the bus had a flat tire and crashed through the median barrier on the expressway, colliding with a car first and then the truck, which was carrying paper products.

In a separate accident, a truck loaded with sand collided with a mini-bus at about 1:30 p.m. on an expressway near Jiamusi City, Heilongjiang Province, killing 10 people and injuring one other, local authorities said.

Nine people aboard the mini-bus died instantly and another died after receiving emergency treatment, a Jiamusi government emergency response office spokesman said.

The truck driver was injured and is being treated, he added.

Local traffic police are investigating the cause of the accident, he added.

(Xinhua News Agency September 4, 2010)