Heavy fog in China: One dead, over 200 vehicles crash in huge highway pile-up
The accident occurred due to low visibility from fog near the city of Zhengzhou
Beijing: One person died during a highway pile-up involving hundreds of vehicles in central China, state broadcaster CCTV reported Wednesday, with images of the accident showing scenes of chaos.
Aerial pictures showed hundreds of passenger cars, vans and lorries - many of which had smashed into one another - piled up on one section of the highway in dense fog.
Other viral videos posted online showed the mangled remains of several vehicles that had crashed into others.
One driver who seems to be the person filming says, "this is too scary. Full of people here. I don't think we can get off the bridge."
The accident occurred due to low visibility from fog near the city of Zhengzhou, Henan province, and involved at least 200 vehicles, state media reported.
Visibility in multiple areas, including Zhengzhou, was less than 500 meters (1,640 feet), and 200 meters in some areas this morning, according to the local meteorological service.
"On Wednesday morning, a sudden build-up of fog occurred at the Yellow River Bridge in Zhengzhou, which caused a traffic accident involving the collision of multiple vehicles," CCTV cited Zhengzhou authorities as saying, adding that one person died as a result.
Rescue efforts
Emergency rescue efforts were carried out soon after the accident occurred and the crash site is currently being cleared up for the normal resumption of traffic, the report said.
The local fire department immediately dispatched 11 fire trucks and 66 fire rescue personnel to the scene, according to state media.
Local traffic police had issued a notice banning all vehicles from passing the bridge because of foggy weather two hours ago, according to a statement issued by the Zhengzhou traffic authorities.
The Zhengxin Huanghe Bridge is a major overpass across the Yellow River, connecting Zhengzhou and neighboring Xinxiang.
Road accidents are common in China due to a lack of strict safety controls. In September, 27 passengers died after a bus transporting them to quarantine facilities in southwestern Guizhou province flipped over on a motorway.