Sixteen people were killed and dozens injured Saturday night in a pile-up on a highway in central China, authorities said Sunday.
Images from the scene released by Chinese media show burning trucks and wrecked cars.
In the space of 10 minutes on Saturday evening, nearly 50 vehicles were involved in a pile-up on a highway in Hunan province, "
some vehicles catching fire
", local traffic police said in a statement.
Footage reposted online by the
People's Daily
, a state-run newspaper, shows several burning trucks bearing the logos of delivery companies, crushed and overturned cars, and a cloud of black smoke rising from crashes.
Read alsoChina-United States: cold war at high altitude
According to traffic police, 16 people were killed in the pileup, including seven in a single collision, while 66 others were injured.
"
The injured were promptly sent to hospital for thorough treatment, with eight of them suffering from relatively serious injuries, their vital signs are currently stable
," she said.
According to the
People's Daily
, the pileup took place in the metropolis of Changsha, and more than 180 rescue workers were dispatched to the scene on Saturday.
China's Ministry of Emergency Management said on Sunday it had called for an investigation into the causes of the accident.
