26 Die As Fireworks Truck Explodes In China, Causing Bridge To Collapse

In China, 26 people die as a fireworks truck explodes while crossing a busy bridge, sending the structure crashing to the ground.

The accident happened in China’s Henan province, China National Radio noted. The truck apparently exploded while it was crossing the busy bridge, sending people and vehicles plummeting to the ground as the bridge collapsed.

Chinese officials said that 26 people died as the fireworks truck exploded.

Afterward, officials worked to rescue people trapped in the rubble after the fireworks truck exploded, Agence France-Presse noted.. They also retrieved six vehicles from the debris of the fallen bridge.

People on the scene of the accident captured images of the destruction, The Associated Press noted:

“Photos posted on the popular news site Sina.com showed a stretch of elevated highway gone, with a truck perched precariously at the broken edge.

“Other photos showed wrecked trucks below and blackened chunks of scattered debris, including collapsed sections of highway, wrecked trucks and cargo containers.”

The accident that saw 26 people die as the fireworks truck explodes took place on the longest road in China, the G30 expressway. The road travels from China’s western border with Kazakhstan all the way east to the Yellow Sea. To make matters worse, the road was busy with travelers gearing up for the country’s most important holiday, the Lunar New Year. It is celebrated on February 10 this year.

The holiday season is also one of the busiest times for fireworks producers, as the fireworks are traditionally used to celebrate the New Year.

The news that 26 people die as a fireworks truck explodes may seem bizarre to those outside China, but such accidents have become somewhat common there. Close to 70,000 people die in vehicle accidents in China each year, and the country has also seen a high number of bridge collapses in the past few years due to shoddy construction and poor maintenance.