The death toll from a multi-vehicle pile-up that occurred in foggy conditions Sunday morning in east China's Jiangxi Province has risen to ten.

According to local communication authorities, the accident occurred at 8 a.m. on the Shanghai-Kunming expressway when more than 80 vehicles crashed into each other in heavy fog.

The accident led to a massive snarl-up involving thousands of vehicles on the section of the expressway between Nanchang, capital of Jiangxi, and Zhangshu, another city in the province.

The full extent of the injuries and the cause of the accident are being investigated.

More than 30 people have been killed in traffic accidents since the Spring Festival travel season began on February 3, the Ministry of Communications said, calling on communication authorities at various levels to ensure that all travelers get home safely.

The ministry urged local authorities to supervise safety measures at bus stops and ban passengers from carrying dangerous goods. Local authorities are also required to stop unsafe buses and overloaded buses.

Local communication authorities have been checking transportation enterprises and their employees and educating drivers.

More than 700,000 buses are transporting a day more than 50 million people who are heading home for Spring Festival, according to the Ministry of Communications.

A total of 2.17 billion passengers will travel during the Spring Festival season in 2007, up 4.9 percent from last year's holiday season.

The National Development and Reform Commission said a record 155 million passengers will travel by train, up 4.3 percent, during the 40-day travel peak that began on February 3 and will end on March 14.

Meanwhile, 1.97 billion will travel by road, up 5 percent, 28.41 million will travel by water, up 2 percent, and 19.3 million will travel by air, up 9.4 percent.

Spring Festival, or the Chinese lunar new year, falls on February 18 this year.