KUNMING - The Qiubei county government has set up an investigation group to look into a traffic collision that occurred on Wednesday, and make all-out efforts to treat the students injured in the accident, local authorities said.

Two rural primary school students died and another 22 were injured when a horse-drawn wagon they were aboard collided with a truck in Southwest China's Yunnan province on Wednesday.

The wagon was carrying 24 students from a primary school in a local village when the accident took place at about 12:45 pm on a highway in Qiubei county, the county government announced in a statement.

One student died at the scene, and another died in hospital after treatments failed, the statement said.

"Nine injured students in critical condition have been transferred to the state hospital to receive better treatment, and the rest are in stable condition and remain hospitalized in the county hospital," said Zhang Yugui, deputy director of Qiubei County People's Hospital.

The county government has issued an emergency notice requiring relevant departments to inspect all school buses in Qiubei county.

Agricultural vehicles and unlicensed buses must stop transporting students, the notice said.

"We will make efforts to strengthen education and administration regarding road traffic safety, remove hidden dangers and find out who is to blame for not taking enough safety measures," said Gong Qing, deputy head of Qiubei county.