A video taken by witness of a multi-vehicle collision on a highway in central China's Hunan Province shows huge fire broke out at the scene. Photo: Sina Weibo

The transportation authority in Central China's Hunan Province held an emergency meeting on Sunday morning on a multi-vehicle collision on the Xuguang Expressway, which killed 16 people and injured 66 others, stressing the need to learn lessons from the accident and strengthen traffic safety work in the province. 

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

A fatal 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.

Several traffic accidents occurred on Saturday 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 10 minutes.

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, according to a video taken by witnesses.

Working teams from the Ministry of Emergency Management and the National Emergency Medical Research Center were sent to the scene immediately after the accident to help treat the injured. A total of 182 firefighters and 30 rescue vehicles are working at the scene.

All 66 people injured in the accident have been sent to hospital for further treatment, and eight of the seriously injured are in stable conditions 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.

Global Times