Beijing  - Thirteen people were killed and 41 injured after a bus plummeted off a mountain road in north China, state media reported Saturday.

The bus, carrying 54 passengers, was travelling to Taiyuan in Hebei province when the accident occurred, the Xinhua news agency reported.

Ten people were killed instantly, and three others died on way to the hospital, the report said.

According to Xinhua, the bus had been rented from a tourism agency, and was carrying customers of the Taiyuan-based Jinwanxia healthcare products company.

A traffic policeman at the scene, Zhang Yonghong, reportedly said it had been raining and the road was slick. (dpa)