Tanker truck blast in China leaves 19 dead

WENLING: The death toll from an oil tank truck blast in east China’s Zhejiang Province had risen to 19 on Sunday.

According to local authorities, 172 injured still receiving medical treatment in different hospitals Wenling city. The accident occurred at around 16:46 pm Saturday when a tank truck loaded with liquified gas exploded near the village of Liangshan in the city of Wenling, Zhejiang Province,

Zhu Minglian, executive deputy mayor of Wenling City held a press conference on the accident said that the Zhejiang Provincial government will dispatch an investigation team to further look into the accident.

“So far, the mishap has caused 19 deaths, and 172 are hospitalized. The surrounding buildings are broken to varying degrees. On-site disposal and other related work is still being carried out,” Zhu added.

He said the local firefighting department has dispatched at least 34 fire engines and 138 firefighters to the scene for rescue.

Special police forces, as well as local volunteers also joined the rescue. The rescuers are currently using life detectors to search for more survivors.

State news agency Xinhua reported Sunday that there was a second blast when the truck fell onto a workshop near the expressway after the first explosion.

Emergency responders were still conducting search and rescue operations, it added. Deadly road accidents are common in China, where traffic regulations are often flouted or not enforced.