The accident occurred as the bus driver lost control of the vehicle. — Photo by AP

BEIJING: At least 10 people died and more than 50 were injured on Thursday when a bus driver in northwest China lost control of the vehicle which then collided with a passing train, state media reported.

The bus was carrying mostly students on their way to school, China’s official Xinhua news agency, without spelling out whether any of the students were among the victims.

The bus broke through a protective fence next to railway tracks in Xinjiang’s capital Urumqi and collided with the passenger train, the state-run Urumqi Online news website said.

Photos posted on the website showed the battered public bus resting on the tracks, its windscreen shattered.

Urumqi police and government officials would not comment when contacted by AFP.

China’s roads are among the world’s most dangerous, with traffic laws and safety widely flouted.

Almost 70,000 people died in road accidents in 2009, or around 190 fatalities a day, according to police statistics.