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Beijing: A speeding bus plowed into the back of a tanker truck carrying a highly toxic chemical, killing 16 people, injuring 24 and spreading a wall of flames across a major central China highway.
The accident occurred about 7pm on Monday along a stretch of the country's main north-south highway in the province of Hunan.
The resulting explosion ignited three other vehicles that were already stopped because of an earlier accident, the report said. It did not say what substance was in the tank.
An officer with the Hunan provincial highway administration said the truck was carrying toluene, a hazardous chemical used to make paints, paint thinners, fingernail polish and other similar products.
The officer, who identified himself only by his surname, Luo, said the injured were being treated at hospitals, but he did not know their conditions. He gave a slightly different account of the accident, saying two buses first collided and a second truck also carrying hazardous materials was involved.
Authorities brought traffic to a complete halt along the Beijing-Zhuhai highway, which only recently reopened after storms.
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