Five people were killed and eleven were injured in a multiple-vehicle collision in Linfen in north China’s Shanxi Province on Thursday.

The accident occurred at a highway toll station in Tumen County, when a truck hit the tail of a long-distance bus, which subsequently hit a second truck.

Three people died at the scene, and two more in hospital. Two were severely injured but were now in stable condition. 

Initial investigations traced the cause of the accident to a brake failure by the first truck. South of the toll station is a 30-kilometer slope, and many truck drivers say they often find it difficult to brake when driving down.