19 dead in China crash as holiday travel rush gets underway

BEIJING (AP) — Authorities in southern China say 19 people have died and 20 are injured in a traffic accident at the start of the Lunar New Year holiday travel rush. The accident occurred outside the city of Nanchang in Jiangxi province. The cause is under investigation but appeared to involve a truck running into a roadside funeral tent. Heavy fog may also have played a role. Tighter regulations have reduced the frequency of such accidents in recent years, with enforcement redoubled around the time of the holiday, China’s most important for family gatherings when tens of millions of migrant workers return to their hometowns. With the end of most COVID-19 restrictions, the number of such trips is expected to double this year.