The latest tragedy is the fifth accident reported this year involving students. A bus crash in China’s eastern province of Jiangsu earlier this month killed 15 children and sparked an uproar among Chinese microbloggers.

The mini van was traveling in the Yunnan province when it plunged into a 60-meter-deep valley in the county of Guangnan on Saturday morning, Xinhua reported.

The eight-seater van had 14 people on board, including 12 students, the news agency added.

Police investigation showed Saturday’s accident was caused by the driver’s “improper operation” when the van was going up a slope, Xinhua said. It did not say how old the students were.

Another school bus crash in early November that killed 18 nursery school children had led Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao to pledge more funding to improve school bus services.

China’s rural areas are notorious for dangerous transport. Children face risky rides in aging, badly maintained vans and trucks.

With more schools moving to bigger towns and abandoning villages, children increasingly have to travel long distances to school or board away from their families.