国内英语新闻:12 dead, 19 injured in two expressway accidents in SW China

KUNMING, May 5 (Xinhua) -- Twelve people were dead and 19 others injured in two accidents on an expressway in southwest China's Yunnan province Saturday.

Among them, three were killed and another two injured as a truck registered in Jiangxi province rear-ended a car at 4:03 p.m. at the section of Yiliang county on the expressway from Shantou to Kunming, said Li Zhonghai, an local traffic police officer.

Fourteen minutes later in a separate accident, which happened 125 meters away from the previous one on the same expressway, nine were killed in a pile-up accident involving 11 vehicles, with another 17 injured, Li said.

The injured were rushed to hospital for treatment, and it was unknown yet whether their injuries were life-threatening or not, he said.

The causes of the accidents are being investigated.