WENZHOU - Eight people have been confirmed dead and four others injured after a van truck bumped into the rear of a heavy haul trailer on a highway in East China's Zhejiang province early Thursday morning, police said.

The accident happened at around 4:49 am on the highway linking Ningbo and Wenzhou in the province. All of the casualties occurred on the van.

An initial police investigation found the van with three seats was overloaded with 12 people, 8 of which were hidden in the van's carriage compartment.

Cause of the accident is still under investigation.