BEIJING: A Chinese state news agency says five Germans and a Chinese citizen were killed when their bus burst into flames after hitting the back of a truck on an expressway near Tianjin in northern China.    

Xinhua News Agency said Monday's accident happened on the expressway that links the port city of Tianjin with the capital Beijing.

It says 14 people were hurt but it did not give their nationalities or any other details. Photos online showed the tourist bus engulfed in flames and black smoke.

Road safety is a serious problem in China.

According to government statistics, poorly maintained roads and bad driving habits result in about 70,000 deaths and 300,000 injuries a year.