China Digest, December 7, 2012

A head-on collision between a cargo truck and a minibus on Wednesday killed five people and injured 16 in Chengnan town, Liuan city, Xinhua reports. Local traffic authorities said three people died at the scene and two others died at hospital. The cause of the accident was still under investigation, but it happened on a national highway without a median divide, and the cargo truck was hauling coal.

Nearly 40 per cent of the petrol and diesel sold at pump stations in Anhui falls short of national quality standards, according to a recent survey by provincial authorities, Xinhua reports. Samples taken from 49 stations throughout the province showed that the problem was worst among small, private petrol stations, with about 60 per cent found to be providing substandard fuel, most of which contained excessive methane and sulphur.