Image caption Road accidents are relatively common in China

At least 36 people were killed after a bus collided with a lorry in eastern China, authorities said.

Investigators believe the accident in Jiangsu province happened when the bus, carrying 69 people, veered across a motorway because of a flat tyre.

It then crashed into a lorry, which was said to be carrying three people and moving in the opposite direction.

Deadly road accidents are relatively common in China, where traffic rules are often flouted.

In addition to the fatalities, another 36 people were reported to have been injured in the crash, with nine in a serious condition, authorities said on Sunday.

Emergency responders were sent to the scene immediately, they said.

In 2015 alone, some 58,000 people were estimated to have been killed in accidents across the country. Violations of traffic laws were blamed for almost 90% of accidents that resulted in deaths or injuries that year, AFP news agency reports.