43 people died and five suffered serious injuries when a massive explosion of flammable material led to a fire that destroyed five vehicles on a highway in Central China Saturday morning.

The explosion came from a van carrying flammable liquid which rear-ended a passenger bus capable of carrying 60 passengers at around 3 a.m. on a section of the Hukun expressway in Hunan province.

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The highway runs from Shanghain to Kunming.

Witness said the freight van probably carrying alcohol rear-ended the passenger bus creating a massive explosion.

Fire immediately spread over a large section of the highway, causing destruction among the other vehicles on the highway.

It took about five hours before firemen could control the spread of the flames on the highway.

Some of the injured people were rushed to a local hospital for emergency treatment.

Exact casualties are still under investigation.

By daylight Saturday, an investigating task force composed of senior officials with the State Administration of Work Safety, the Ministry of Public Security and the Ministry of Transport  rushed to the to oversee rescue and investigation.

The fire has been put out as of 8 a.m. The provincial government has ordered all-out rescue efforts, which is still under way.

TagsHunan