The car, from the central province of Shandong, hit the coach on Friday afternoon in Tianjin city, near Beijing, the official Xinhua News Agency said.

Another 19 were injured, it added.

The coach, which overturned on impact, was carrying 55 passengers, most of them college students on their way back to school after a seven-day national holiday.

The highway in Tianjin remains closed.

At least 56 people were killed in three major road accidents, including the Tianjin smash, during the one-week holiday break which ended on Friday, according to media reports.

Road accidents in China killed at least 65,000 people last year, and injured 254,000, according to official figures