Sixteen people were killed, and 66 others sustained injuries in a multiple-vehicle collision on a highway in Changsha, Hunan, on Saturday, local authorities said on Sunday.
A fatal multi-vehicle collision occurred on the Xuguang Expressway, which links cities between central and south China, with some of the vehicles catching fire, local authorities said, adding that a preliminary investigation showed at least five accidents occurred within about 10 minutes.
A total of 49 vehicles were involved in the five accidents, including not only private cars but also large trucks, which caused huge fires at the scenes, according to a video taken by witnesses.
Working teams from the Ministry of Emergency Management and the National Emergency Medical Research Center were sent to the scene immediately after the accident to help treat the injured. A total of 182 firefighters and 30 rescue vehicles are working at the scene, Global Times reported.
All 66 people injured in the accident have been sent to hospital for further treatment, and eight of the seriously injured are in stable condition at the moment.
At present, traffic on the road where the accident occurred has resumed. Investigations about the accident and rescue work are being carried out, local authorities said.
