The bus had just nine seats, yet had 64 people crammed on board when it collided with a truck on Wednesday.
Members of the public have been expressing their outrage on internet micro-blog sites about the country’s lax safety standards.
The government has now ordered checks on all school buses.
The accident happened on Wednesday morning when the minibus crashed head-on with a coal truck in foggy conditions.
“The [work safety] bureau has blamed overloading for the accident,” said on article on the state-run Xinhua news agency. The van was also in bad condition.
Micro-blogging sites have become extremely popular in China over recent months as an outlet for people to express their unhappiness with the government.
In the hours following this accident, people started showing their indignation.
“How could they put over 60 kids into a bus that is restricted to just nine people?” asked one posting.
Many feel there are too many accidents in China involving school children, a fact acknowledged by Xinhua. “The accident is one of many in China involving school buses or students,” it said.
A total of 70,000 people died in road accidents in China last year, according to the police.
But a study published earlier this year by the World Health Organisation says the true toll may be far higher, as the number of fatalities given by China’s health authorities is almost double those recorded by the police