SEOUL -- Three Chinese nationals were among the five people killed in a traffic accident in South Korea, the Chinese embassy in South Korea confirmed on Saturday.

Early morning on Saturday, a van carrying day laborers collided with a bus at an intersection in Ansan, about 30 km south of the capital Seoul, at around 5:45 am local time (2045 GMT Friday), killing five people and injuring nine others, local media reported citing the fire authorities.

Affected by the collision, the van bounced off and hit a passenger car waiting in the opposite lane before coming to a stop. Five laborers in the van were sent to a nearby hospital and confirmed dead.

Seven others in the van, including a driver, were injured, while two in the passenger car were wounded. One of the injured was in critical condition.

The police suspected that the van violated a traffic signal at the intersection, planning to investigate the exact cause of the accident.