Firefighters try to distinguish the fire on a bus in Astana, capital of Kazakhstan, Jan. 27, 2011. (Xinhua/Liu Lihang)

ASTANA, April 20 (Xinhua) -- A bus accident in Kazakhstan has killed 11 people and injured 29 others, the Kazakh Interior Ministry said Saturday.

The accident took place on the early morning of Saturday in the Kordai district in the southern Zhambyl region when a car collided with a truck on a highway and a following passenger bus made a rollover in order to avoid a collision with the vehicles, according to the ministry.

"As a result of the accident, eight people were killed instantly, 32 people were taken to medical facilities, where another three people died from injuries," the ministry said in a statement.

About 50 people and the rescue services, disaster management office and regional police department were involved, and medical personnel have been dispatched to the scene, the ministry said.

A pre-trial investigation was launched under the criminal code, while investigators from the Interior Ministry and the police office are working to establish the circumstances of the accident.

Local media reported that the 11 people killed are citizens of Uzbekistan.