At least 26 people have been killed after a bus carrying tourists caught fire and burst into flames after an accident on a motorway in Taiwan, China.
The accident happened near Taoyuan City as the bus was heading to Taiwan Taoyuan International Airport.
The bus was carrying 24 tourists and on a tour organised by a travel agency in China's northeastern province of Liaoning, authorities said in a statement.
The county fire and rescue service said in a statement 24 of those killed were from northeast China’s Liaoning Province.
The two others killed were the Taiwanese driver and tour guide.
BREAKING: 26 passengers killed after a bus carrying tourists catches fire near the airport in #Taoyuan , #Taiwan pic.twitter.com/G1nuboWTdu
— News_Executive (@News_Executive) July 19, 2016
The exact cause of the fire is yet to be confirmed but it has been reported that the bus burst into flames after spinning out of control and crashing into the highway's guard rail.
Emergency services rushed to the scene but the fire had already spread by the time firefighters arrived.
Taiwanese authorities are now investigating the cause of the fire.