BEIJING: At least 17 people were killed and 22 others injured in a traffic accident in southern China on Sunday morning, as the annual Lunar New Year holiday trip began.

According to the regional traffic management brigade, the accident happened outside Nanchang in Jiangxi province. According to the brigade, the type and number of vehicles involved were unclear, and the cause was being investigated.

According to a local quoted by the website Jimu News, the victims were mourners from Taoling village who, as is common in rural China, had set up a funeral tent on the side of the road when they were struck by a passerby. In the morning when they were preparing to go to the neighboring cremation ground by truck.

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The woman, who gave only her last name to the website, claimed that many of the victims were her neighbors. The website is run by the Hubei Daily newspaper, which is based in a neighboring province.

That version of events was confirmed by another unnamed villager, according to Jimu, who also said that the scene had already been cleared. The condition of the injured is unknown.

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Tighter regulations have recently resulted in a decrease in the frequency of major traffic accidents caused by tired drivers and poorly maintained or overloaded vehicles.

During the holiday season, when millions of migrant workers return to their hometowns, enforcement efforts increase on the number of vehicles, drivers and passengers.

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The number of such visits is estimated to double to over 2 billion in and around the seven-day festival season beginning January 22 this year, with most COVID-19 restrictions lifted.