A tractor-trailer plowed into a number of people on a road in China's inland province of Jiangxi early on Sunday. State-run China Central Television says 19 were killed and 20 others injured.

The accident took place in a village outside Nanchang City before 1 a.m. on Sunday.

Many of the victims are reported to be local villagers.

A local media outlet said the villagers had been heading to a crematorium before dawn to avoid possible crowds there.

The death toll linked to the COVID-19 pandemic appears to be rising in China, with long lines of people at crematoriums.

Footage posted on the country's social media that apparently showed the scene of the accident was removed at one point, suggesting Chinese authorities were attempting to control the release of the information.