Multiple clash leaves 17 dead in China

[G.O.G]

Seventeen people were killed and 37 others wounded in a multiple collision on a motorway in northern China that involved up to 56 vehicles, local authorities quoted by state media reported Monday.

The accident took place under conditions of reduced visibility due to snow and rain, in a cold spell in the north of the country, on a stretch of highway connecting Beijing with Kunming as it passes through Pingyang in the northern province of Shanxi .

Hospitals remained stable early on Tuesday after receiving the first treatments, officials said. "The fog was intense, so I drove slowly as I came out of the tunnel. I saw two vehicles blocking the road horizontally, so I stepped on the brake, "said one of the drivers involved in the accident to the official CCTV television network.

The driver explained that, although the asphalt was slippery and his car slowed down completely, he did not collide with vehicles already injured, but immediately afterwards he was hit by others that came behind and he ended up producing a shock In chain.

Police, firefighters, doctors and emergency teams traveled to the scene of the accident to participate in the rescue operation. "When I got there, there was fire in the front. We parked at the end of the buildup and carried the hoses down the opposite lane, "said Wang Roubing, one of the firefighters who participated in the operation.

Although at the moment it is pointed to bad weather as the probable cause of the accident, authorities have announced that they have opened an investigation that is still open to find out the origin of the incident and have closed the section of the highway until further notice.