China Highway Pile-Up: 16 Dead, 66 Injured As Vehicles Catch Fire

Changsha: At least 16 people were killed and dozens injured in a massive pile-up of vehicles on a Chinese highway in the south-central province of Hunan.

Around 50 vehicles were reportedly involved in multiple collisions on a highway passing Changsha, the capital of Hunan on Saturday evening.

According to local police, the pile-up happened within a span of 10 minutes and some vehicles even caught fire.

Photos and video clips posted on social media showed burning trucks and smashed cars.

“16 people died and 66 others were injured in a multi-vehicle collision that occurred on an expressway in central China’s Hunan Province, local officials said Sunday. Rescue and search work is still underway,” China’s state-owned People’s Daily tweeted.

“The injured were promptly sent to hospital for a thorough treatment, including eight whose injuries were relatively severe, whose vital signs are currently stable,” Hunan’s traffic police said in a statement.

Over 180 rescue workers were sent to the accident site.

China’s Emergency Management ministry has launched an investigation to identify the cause of the accident.