HANGZHOU - Seven people have died and another injured after a road accident in East China's Zhejiang province, local authorities said Sunday.

The accident happened around Saturday midnight in the economic and technological development zone of Wenzhou City, about 365 km south of the provincial capital of Hangzhou.

An initial investigation found that an Audi Q5 sports utility vehicle (SUV) with eight people aboard crashed into the back of a trailer truck, which was parked on the roadside.

Seven people in the SUV died at the scene. The driver, surnamed Wang, was badly injured and has been sent to hospital.

An Audi Q5 has loading capacity of five people, including the driver.

The truck driver, who was unscathed, is helping police with inquiries.

A further investigation into the cause of the accident is underway.