Twelve dead in 41 vehicle pile-up in China
November 05, 2010 5:55PM
A 41-vehicle pile-up on a fog-shrouded highway in eastern China has left at least 12 people dead and 13 injured, state media reported today.
The accident occurred on a 600-metre stretch of an expressway near Zhangshu city in Jiangxi province early this morning in heavy fog, Xinhua news agency reported.
Most of the vehicles involved in the chain-reaction wreck were trucks, seven of which caught fire, the report said.
One truck was carrying fireworks when the accident happened but it was not immediately clear if the vehicle caught fire or exploded.
More than 120 people were involved, including travellers on a bus, Xinhua said.
China's roads are among the most dangerous in the world, with traffic laws widely flouted.
Almost 70,000 people died in road accidents in 2009, or around 190 fatalities a day, according to police statistics.
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