Beijing (AsiaNews)
- At least 26 people were killed this morning in the collapse of an elevated highway in the province of Henan, caused by the
explosion of a truck carrying fireworks
for the upcoming Chinese New Year.
The blast brought down dozens of vehicles, including other trucks from a height of 30 meters.
At the moment there are 15 injured, who have already been
transferred to nearby hospitals,
but rescuers hope to find survivors trapped in the cockpits of fallen trucks.
The explosion destroyed a 80 meters of Lianhuo highway
that runs through the central China
from east to west. Witnesses posted pictures of the scene of micro blogging sites,
showing the devastation caused by the
explosion. In one photo you can
see a truck still hanging in
balance, over the edge of the highway.
In China, fireworks are an important part of the celebrations
of the Lunar New Year, which
falls on 10 February, and every year
explosions and similar incidents occur.
Even the traffic and highway accidents are frequent: as reported by the official
Xinhua news agency, in 2011 more than 60
thousand people died on the roads
in China. Among the causes are often cited the inadequacy of the vehicle or the carelessness of the drivers, but also the quality of the transport network which is very poor.