Thirteen people have been confirmed dead and three others injured after an overloaded passenger van rear-ended a semi-trailer truck on an expressway section in central China's Henan Province early Thursday morning, according to local authorities.

The crash took place at around 2:40 a.m. Thursday at the section in Nanyang City. The nine-seat passenger van carried 16 people at the time of the accident.

The Ministry of Public Security has dispatched a work team to Nanyang to guide the investigation and response efforts.