At least 38 killed in van-bus collision

This photo taken by a cellphone on July 19, 2014 shows resucers work at the scene of a vehicle collision on a section of the Hukun Expressway in central China's Hunan Province. The accident happened at around 3 am, when a freight van loaded with flammable liquid rear ended a passenger coach capable of carrying 53 people, according to the provincial traffic police. Four passengers managed to escape with major burns, while the conditions of the rest remain unclear. (Xinhua)

At least 38 people are confirmed dead and another five injured in an explosion and fire after a vehicle crash on a central China highway early Saturday morning.

The accident happened at around 3 a.m. on a section of the Hukun (Shanghai to Kunming) Expressway in Hunan Province, when a van loaded with flammable liquid, probably alcohol, rear-ended a passenger coach.

A total of five vehicles were destroyed in the accident.

Shi Shiping, a villager living near the scene, told Xinhua that he "heard a huge bang" when the accident happened.

"It was like the explosion of an atomic bomb," Shi said, adding that local villagers were unable to get close to the site because of the fierce fire.

"Four people escaped from the blaze with severe burns, their hair and clothes burnt," Shi said. "They could barely talk and were just moaning, but as we did not have medicine or any medical equipment, we just comforted them by saying that everything will be OK."

A joint task force led by the State Administration of Work Safety, the Ministry of Public Security and the Ministry of Transport is on their way to the site.

The fire was out as of 8 am.