An overloaded school minibus crashed head-on with a truck in rural western China on Wednesday, killing at least 18 kindergarten children on their way to class, officials said.

Two adults - the driver of the minibus and a teacher at the kindergarten - also died in the accident, said an emergency official surnamed Fan.

News of the crash ignited public anger across China, highlighting an underfunded education system that especially shortchanges students in remote areas.

The bus had nine seats, but Fan said it was jammed with 62 children and two adults when it collided with the truck in China's Gansu province, leaving the orange school vehicle crumpled and twisted. Authorities blamed the overloading for the accident, the official Xinhua News Agency said.