Rescue operations are still ongoing at the Beijing-Kunming Express Highway after 56 vehicles were involved in a grisly accident that killed more than 17 people and injured around 37 on Monday morning.

According to China Daily, the incident was a caused by a massive snow and weather condition.

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Firefighters and local officials were among the earliest to arrive at the scene in a quest to save as many lives as they could.

Xinhua news agency said that investigations are still ongoing and that most of the individuals who had been injured in the incident are currently in a stable condition.

Images from the scene showed lorries that had been completely damaged.

According to a report by the BBC news, one truck fell on the vehicles that were in front of it after it made contact with another lorry, which threw it through the air. Other lorries were, however, lucky to have secured a safe landing at the whole scene.

Cranes are among other rescue equipment that had been brought on site to assist in the rescue operations.

Highway accidents are common in China mostly because of the high speed and failure to observe road discipline.

Statistics presented by the World Health Organization place China's highway deaths to stand at 250,000 people annually. The government statistics, however, defer to this by nearly half the number.

Highway safety was among the government's many initiatives for this year. They recently adopted a new policy that hinders trucks from carrying excess luggage.

Tagschina, Beijing-Kunming Express Highway, Highway Accident