The minibus rear-ended the truck and then caught fire at the expressway tunnel in Meixian County in the early hours, Meizhou City Public Security Bureau said.
Rescuers retrieved six bodies from the minibus while three others were injured and rushed to hospital.
The injured are in non-critical condition, state-run Xinhua news agency reported.
Police blamed the accident on the driver's fatigue as he drove the minibus from Dongguan to Sanming city in neighboring Fujian Province on Saturday morning and returned the same night.
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