The blast was so powerful that neighboring homes and factories collapsed. At least ten people were killed and more than a hundred others injured in the explosion of a tank truck on a highway in eastern China, Chinese media reported on Saturday.
State television CCTV reported ten dead and 117 injured who were taken to hospital. Rescue was still striving Saturday evening to try to free victims trapped in the rubble.
The disaster occurred near the city of Wenling in eastern Zhejiang province, the government said on social media. A huge cloud of black smoke formed over the scene of the accident while several cars were set on fire.
A gigantic fireball
Videos of the accident published by official media showed a huge fireball and people screaming.
#BREAKING 🚨
A fuel tanker truck on the highway in Wenling City, #China exploded out of the highway, causing some of the surrounding houses & factories to collapse.
Explosion recorded on camera 👇🏻
So far 10 died 50 injured. Numbers are increasing. pic.twitter.com/OpL5fbTG8g
One of the videos shows large debris flying through the air before reaching nearby buildings.
#UPDATE At least 10 have been killed and 117 injured in an oil tank truck explosion in east China's Zhejiang province. Over 450 firefighters are currently at the scene. pic.twitter.com/IfSBrMYeX5
- China Daily (@ChinaDaily) June 13, 2020Another sequence shows the remains of the tank truck and several heavy goods vehicles embedded in a building reduced to the state of ruins.
China Xinhua News on Twitter: "10 people were dead, and 117 injured after a tank truck exploded and veered off an expressway in Zhejiang, China pic.twitter.com/PyrKdkcZ58" / Twitter https://t.co/3GmK0BjgpZ
- ANDRO1711 (@ ANDRO1711) June 13, 2020Road accidents are common in China. According to the latest available figures communicated by the authorities, 58,000 people lost their lives in traffic accidents in 2015.
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Highway traffic violations are responsible for almost 90% of fatal or injured accidents. In 2019, at least 36 people were killed and 36 injured in eastern China when a crowded coach with a punctured tire collided with a truck.
