At least 38 killed as van full of flammable liquid crashes into bus on Chinese highway triggering huge explosion

Fire raged for three hours after late night crash in Hunan province

Another five people were injured on the double-decker long-distance bus

Deadly road accidents are a major problem in China



At least 38 people were killed when a van carrying inflammable liquid hit a bus on a highway in central China early Saturday, state media reported.

The collision in Hunan province triggered a fire and explosion which destroyed five vehicles, the Xinhua news agency said.

Another five people were injured in the accident, which occurred at around 3am, Xinhua said, citing police.

Blaze: A truck loaded with flammable liquid collided with the bus on a highway in southern China on Saturday, killing at least 38 people

Rescuers and investigators survey to the scene of the accident in Longhui county of Shaoyang, central China's Hunan province

The fire was finally put out by about 8am local time.

The double-decker long-distance bus, with capacity for 53 occupants, was travelling between the eastern coastal province of Fujian and Guizhou in the southwest when the crash occurred.

Senior work safety and transport ministry officials and police were heading to the site to investigate, Xinhua said.

Fatal road accidents are a serious problem in China, where the highway network and number of new drivers are expanding rapidly while traffic laws and safety are widely flouted.

Investigators work at the scene of vehicle wrecks on the expressway

Fatal road accidents are a serious problem in China, where the highway network and number of new drivers are expanding rapidly while traffic laws and safety are widely flouted

At least 42 people were killed when fire engulfed a bus during rush hour in the city of Xiamen, Fujian, in June last year.

In August 2012, at least 36 people died when a double-decker sleeper bus slammed into the rear of a methanol tanker and burst into flames in northern China.

The ministry of transport says the number of road deaths in China fell from 104,000 in 2003 to 60,000 in 2012, or from about 300 fatalities a day to less than 200.

A study published in 2011 by a group of Chinese and US researchers concluded, however, that the number of deadly accidents was two times higher than the police claimed.





