WUHAN - Police in central Hubei province confirmed that 23 people had died after a rear-end collision Monday morning.

Wreckage of a bus involved in a rear-end collision is seen on the roadside on the Xiantao section of the Suizhou-Yueyang expressway in Central China's Hubei province, July 4, 2011. As of 7:00 pm Monday, 23 people have been confirmed dead as a result of the accident. [Photo/Xinhua]

Initially 26 people were believed dead as some of the bodies were severely burnt and difficult to identify, said a spokesman with the Hubei traffic police headquarters, who also said 29 suffered injuries, two less than what was previously reported.

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The accident occurred at about 3:50 am after a long-distance passenger bus was rear-ended by a truck on the Xiantao section of the Suizhou-Yueyang expressway, according to the spokesman.

Both vehicles crashed through the guardrails of the expressway and caught fire. Nearly 60 meters of guardrails were broken, according to a Xinhua reporter at the scene.

The bus, operated by Wuhan Hailong Tourism Bus Company, was carrying 52 passengers, including five children, bound for Tianmen City from southern Guangdong Province.

The truck driver died at the scene, said the spokesman, adding that he could not confirm whether any children in the bus had died.

The injured passengers have been sent to nearby hospitals, with three in critical condition.

Initial investigations showed the accident was caused by illegal road-side parking and drowsy driving.

Investigators said the bus driver illegally stopped the vehicle on an emergency driveway as a passenger asked to get off on the expressway, and the truck, with a fatigued driver behind the wheel, hit the bus at high speed.