MOSCOW - A traffic accident killed 10 people early Sunday in southern Russia, local emergency authorities said.

The deaths, including that of a child, occurred when a minibus and a truck collided on a highway in the Stavropol region, a spokesman with the Emergency Situations Ministry's local branch told local media.

A preliminary probe indicated the minibus veered into the opposite lane and collided with oncoming truck.

The nine passengers in the minibus were on their way to a wedding party. Six people died at the site while a man, two women and a five-year-old child died on the way to the hospital. The truck driver was the only survivor, local media reported.

An investigation was underway and police were trying to identify the victims.

Investigators said the bus driver may have fallen asleep or become ill.