CHANGSHA, March 23 (Xinhua) - Twenty-six people were killed and 28 others injured after a tour coach caught fire in central China's Hunan Province on Friday, local authorities said.

Photo taken on March 22, 2019 shows the accident site of a coach fire in Changde, central China's Hunan Province. Twenty-six people were killed and 28 others injured after a tour coach caught fire in central China's Hunan Province on Friday. (Photos: Xinhua)

The injured, including five in critical condition, were rushed to three local hospitals for treatment, according to the publicity department of the Hunan Provincial Committee of the Communist Party of China.

The accident happened around 19:15 on Friday evening when the 59-seater bus from neighboring Henan province suddenly caught fire on a highway in Hanshou County in the city of Changde. There were 56 people on board, including 53 passengers, two drivers and a tour guide.

The two drivers were detained and an investigation into the cause of the accident is under way.