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 minute
s 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.