The road accident that killed two passengers and three firefighters in central China s Hunan province Saturday involved a huge blast the driving recorder of a tourist s car showed. A tanker carrying 20 tons of liquefied gas turned over at around 0715 Saturday when it was entering a road tunnel on the Changde-Jishou Expressway killing two passengers instantly. Local firefighters rushed to the accident site located on the road section in Yuanling County where fire started gushing out with gas leaking from the overturned tanker. The smoke was growing thicker and thicker but we all took it for the foaming agent said Zhou Tianchi a witness whose car was stopped about 400 meters away from the site of the accident. Zhou was driving his family back home after a holiday trip to a tourist resort in the western region of Hunan province. At noon the raging blaze and white smog turned into a violent explosion devouring the rescuers who were trying to extinguish the fire witnesses said. Three young firefighters aged from 20 to 27 were killed and two others were injured. The blast sent a powerful shock wave smacking me to the ground. I could even feel the heat of the wave Zhou recalled. And then everything was flying in the air paper scraps grasses tree roots and many other things. I remember feeling so panic and my head went totally blank. Zhou whose car camera recorded the whole accident added that another minor explosion followed soon. The fume from the blast leaped up tens of meters into the air recorder video showed. Many more people were struck down and I saw the windows of nearby vehicles shattered Zhou Tianchi said. Passengers from a shuttle bus told me that their luggage was sent flying and they fell into infinite chaos and fear. The blast wrecked seven vehicles including two fire engines destroyed the road tunnel and stranded the traffic for hours. Local authorities sealed off the affected expressway section and have begun an investigation into the accident.

• published: 31 Oct 2013
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