Twenty-seven people were killed and four seriously injured when a coach bus fell off a bridge in southwest China's Chongqing Municipality in the small hours Tuesday.

Local traffic police said the bus, with 31 people aboard and all passengers in their berths, veered off a bridge on a mountain highway in the outlying Qianjiang district at 2:50 a.m.

Police said the bus fell apart instantly and 25 people were killed on the spot. Two others died later -- one on his way to a nearby hospital and the other during emergency treatment.

The municipal government of Chongqing has demanded all-out efforts to save the four injured.

The sleeper coach was a Chinese Sanxiang bearing number plate H00182, registered in Chongqing. It belonged to the Qianjiang branch of Chongqing Transportation Group and was en route from downtown Chongqing to Qianjiang district.

Source: Xinhua