44 held accountable for severe traffic accidents

Forty-four people have been held accountable for four severe traffic accidents and one serious overloading in China this year, the Ministry of Public Security said on Monday.

They include drivers, company heads and safety supervisors. Those suspected of committing crimes have been transferred to judicial bodies, the ministry's traffic management bureau said in a statement.

The announcement was part of the ministry's nationwide traffic safety inspection that started in June, which aims to severely punish those who do not fulfill safety management and supervision obligations, leading to major traffic accidents.

The accidents took place in northwest China's Gansu Province, east China's Anhui and Jiangxi provinces and central Henan Province this year.

The accident in Gansu's Qingyang City on Feb. 1 killed 18 people and injured 32, making it the most serious of the five accidents.