China road tunnel explosion, 20 people dead

A truck carrying explosives caught fire while unloading it inside a highway tunnel under construction in central China's Hunan province, killing and injuring dozens of workers.

According to Xinhua, the explosion occurred at 8:30 a.m. in Tanling district, Zhuzhou city, when a truck carrying explosives was unloading in a tunnel.

Police blocked off the scene of the highway tunnel explosion.Photo: Chinanews

Local police said there were 24 workers in the tunnel at the time. In addition to the 20 dead, four other workers were injured, one of them seriously.

This tunnel was built to shorten the distance between the two districts of Dam Lang and Nhu Thanh with a cost of more than 2 billion USD, expected to be completed in July 2013.

Lax construction regulations and a disregard for safety are believed to be the cause of these types of accidents, which are quite common in China. Chinese authorities are investigating the cause of the explosion.

According to Vnexpress