EIGHT passengers of a minibus with Shenzhen plates were among 12 victims killed in a deadly car crash on an expressway early Saturday morning in Heyuan, Guangdong Province, and the accident has given rise to suspicions that the Shenzhen victims were utilizing neighboring Jiangxi Province to take driving tests, the Daily Sunshine reported yesterday.

    The accident happened on Yuegan Expressway, which links Guangdong’s Heyuan City and Jiangxi’s Ganzhou City, when a truck loaded with steel bars overturned due to faulty brakes and caused a collision with three trucks, a minibus and a car.

    Four vehicles caught on fire after the collision, including the minibus with Shenzhen license plates. Eight people on the minibus were killed, including a driving school teacher and seven driving school students who were heading for Ganzhou to take driving tests.

    Police in Heyuan said that an investigation was underway to identify the victims through DNA exams, as their bodies had been burned beyond recognition.

    A netizen posted online Sunday that two victims were a pair of siblings from Guangming New Area who were on their way to take driving tests in Jiangxi, and added that a colleague was fortunate enough to skip the trip because of not being prepared to take the test.

    Another netizen said that the low cost of driver’s license lessons in Jiangxi has lured Shenzheners to take driving tests there, as most driving schools in the province charge 2,000 yuan (US$327) to 3,500 yuan for a driving course, far less than the minimum of 6,000 yuan with a Shenzhen school.

    Many Shenzhen people take driving tests outside the city because waiting for availability for the test in Shenzhen can take years.

    (Anna Zhao)