A tanker truck filled with petrol has collided with a truck in
southern China, setting off an explosion and a massive fire that left 20
people dead and 14 others hurt, including at least two with severe
burns.
The tanker was carrying 40 tons of petrol when it crashed
into the other vehicle early this morning on an expressway in Guangzhou
city, capital of Guangdong province, the official Xinhua News Agency
said. Oil leaked from the tanker and triggered an explosion that set a
timber mill and work sheds located under the expressway bridge on fire.
Most of those hurt were workers from the factory and one of them was
severely injured.
Other Chinese media reported that the fire
blazed across 2,000 square metres, burning several other vehicles. As
the fire raged in the pre-dawn hours, nearby residents said they heard
at least two loud bangs. "There often are overloaded container trucks
passing by, so I thought maybe a container fell off a truck and did not
think too much about it," one man said. "But when the second bang went
off, the force of the explosion was so strong it made me bounce a little
on my bed," he said.
The Guangdong Provincial People's Hospital
in Guangzhou said the facility was treating two of the injured people.
One suffered 80% burns and the other 90%, she said.
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