China: 16 killed in multi-vehicle collision

The transportation authority in Central China's Hunan Province on Sunday held an emergency meeting on a multi-vehicle collision on the Xuguang Expressway on Saturday which killed 16 people and injured 66. The transport authority during the meeting stressed on the need to learn lessons from the accident and strengthen traffic safety work in the province, Chinese state-owned publication Global Times reported.

Department of Transportation of Hunan Province discussed the need to further strengthen coordination between meteorological, emergency and transportation departments, improve the forecasting of extreme weather as well as provide emergency support, especially to identify security risks that may cause mass casualties, according to Global Times.

A multi-vehicle collision on a highway in Changsha, Hunan, on Saturday, killed 16 people and injured 66 others, eight of whom were seriously injured, according to a statement released by local authorities on Sunday.

On Saturday, several traffic accidents were reported on the Xuguang Expressway, which links cities between central and south China, with some of the vehicles involved catching fire, local authorities said, adding that a preliminary investigation showed at least five accidents occurred within about ten minutes, Global Times reported.

A video taken by witnesses revealed that 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.

Immediately after the accident, working teams from the Ministry of Emergency Management and the National Emergency Medical Research Centre were sent to the scene to help treat the injured.

A total of 182 firefighters and 30 rescue vehicles were working at the scene.

All those injured in the accident have been sent to the hospital for further treatment. Eight of those 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 noted, according to Global Times.