9 killed in 28-truck pile-up on central China highway during thick fog
- Vehicles collided as they entered a section of the highway in Henan province; weather bureau had issued fog warning
Nine people were killed and nine more were injured in a pile-up involving 28 heavy trucks on a highway in central China during thick fog on Monday morning, according to state media.
The vehicles collided as they entered a section of the Daguang highway in Zhumadian, Henan province at about 7.20am, state broadcaster CCTV reported.
Three people were declared dead at the scene, while the rescue effort to free those trapped in their vehicles continued into the afternoon, with 15 people taken to hospital. The death toll had risen to nine as of Tuesday morning, according to People’s Daily.
Some of the badly damaged trucks involved in the accident were carrying oranges, sand and cars, according to video footage from the scene.
The provincial weather bureau had issued an orange alert in the morning because of the fog – the second highest warning to motorists of low visibility. It said visibility in Zhumadian and nearby cities would be less than 200 metres until noon.