Overview
- An SAIC MAXUS passenger minivan carrying 16 people struck the rear of a semi-trailer on the G40 expressway near Nanyang in Henan at about 2:40 a.m. on Thursday.
- Traffic authorities confirmed 13 people died and three were injured after the early‑morning collision.
- The minivan was approved for nine seats but was carrying 16 passengers, and officials cited overloading as a key factor in the crash.
- China's traffic management bureau and the Ministry of Public Security said they had 'attached great importance' to the case and dispatched a working group to Nanyang to direct the investigation.
- The accident highlights recurring road‑safety risks in China such as illegal overloading and late‑night driving and could increase official pressure to tighten enforcement on highway passenger limits.