CHANGSHA - Heavy casualties are feared after a vehicle crash triggered fire and explosion on a Central China highway early Saturday morning, police said.
The accident happened at around 3 am on a section of the Hukun (Shanghai to Kunming) Expressway in Hunan Province, when a freight van loaded with flammable liquid, probably alcohol, rear ended a passenger coach capable of carrying 53 people.
A total of five vehicles were destroyed in the accident. The driver of the van and a passenger in it died at the scene, according to the provincial traffic police.
Four people managed to escape with major burns, while the conditions of the rest remain unclear.
The fire has been put out as of 8 am The provincial government has ordered all-out rescue efforts, which is still under way.
