Nineteen people were killed and 20 injured on Sunday (January 8th) in an accident in eastern China, according to state television, after a truck rammed a funeral procession, local media reported. The accident “left 17 dead, 22 people were injured, the injured were sent to hospital“, according to the television channel CCTV, citing the local authorities.
L'”major traffic accidenttook place shortly before 1:00 a.m. in Nanchang County, Jiangxi Province, according to CCTV, which added that “the cause of the accident is being fully investigated“.
Funeral attendees
People had made an offering to the dead on the side of the road before heading to the crematorium on Sunday morning, a local resident named Deng told local newspaper Jimu News. Most of the dead and injured were funeral participants, according to this media. Another man residing nearby, surnamed Gong, told Jimu News he attended the funeral with his wife, who was killed in the accident. He described the truck suddenly slamming into the rear of the motorcade, then driving through the crowd before reaching the hearse.
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About an hour after the news broke, Nanchang County Traffic Police issued advice to drivers, warning that the area was experiencing a “foggy weather“. “Driving visibility is poor. There is poor visibility, which can easily cause traffic accidents“. “Please watch out for fog lights… slow down, drive carefully, keep a safe distance from the car in front of you, avoid pedestrians, do not change lanes or overtake“, further advised road safety.
Frequent road accidents in China
Road accidents are common in China due to a lack of strict safety checks. Last month, one person died in a pile-up on a highway in central China, involving hundreds of vehicles and caused by low visibility due to fog.
In September, 27 passengers lost their lives after a bus carrying them to quarantine facilities in southwest China’s Guizhou province overturned on a highway.