BEIJING, China, June 29: A tanker truck filled with gasoline collided with a truck in southern China on Friday, setting off an explosion and a massive fire that left 20 people dead and 14 others hurt.
The tanker was carrying 40 tons of gasoline when it crashed into the other vehicle early Friday morning on an expressway in Guangzhou city, capital of Guangdong province, the official Xinhua News Agency said.
Oil leaked from the tanker truck and triggered an explosion that set a timber mill and work sheds located under the expressway bridge on fire, Xinhua said. Most of those hurt were workers from the factory and one of them was severely injured, it said.
The agency cited the Guangzhou city´s Internet information office´s microblog account. The office´s phone number was not listed. Officials from the city´s government, police and fire brigade either could not be reached or said they had no information about the accident.
Other Chinese media reported that the tanker truck fell on its side and that the fire blazed across 2,000 sq. meters (2,400 sq. yards) of land, burning several other vehicles.
Footage on state broadcaster CCTV´s noon bulletin showed the fire had been put out.
State media say poorly maintained roads and bad driving habits result in about 70,000 deaths and 300,000 injuries a year in China.
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