Reuters
A section of a bridge that partially collapsed after a truck carrying fireworks exploded in Henan Province on Friday.
HONG KONG - A truck laden with fireworks exploded on a bridge in central China on Friday, unleashing a blast that threw vehicles some 30 yards to the ground below and killed at least six people.
The truck was on an expressway near Sanmenxia in Henan Province in morning fog when it exploded, wiping out a length of the Yichang Bridge, according to the Xinhua news agency.
One initial news report said at least 26 people were killed, but officials on the scene later dismissed that number as too high, according to Xinhua, which said about 15 people were also injured.
The widespread use off fireworks is a tradition of China’s traditional Spring Festival celebrations that begin on Feb. 9, and the explosion was a reminder of the intense pressures brought by the crush of people and goods on the move before the vacation period starts.
Pictures on Chinese television and news websites showed rescuers clamoring over shattered remains of trucks that plunged to earth, with part of one truck hanging off the severed section of the bridge. Reports from the scene said that from 10 to 25 vehicles fell off the bridge, and rescuers were searching for survivors amid the jumble of wreckage.
“A number of vehicles were crushed under the fallen bridge section, adding to the difficulties of the rescuers,” said a report on China Central Television.
Most reports said the explosion triggered the bridge collapse, and pictures showed charred debris along the expressway. But Central Chinese Television news said investigators were considering the possibility that a bridge collapse triggered the explosion.
Fireworks Truck Explodes on Bridge in Deadly Blast
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Fireworks Truck Explodes on Bridge in Deadly Blast
