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Firefighters look for victims in damaged buildings in the aftermath of a tanker truck explosion near a highway in Wenling in eastern China's Zhejiang province early Sunday, June 14, 2020. More than a dozen were killed and others injured after the tanker truck veered off the Shenyang-Haikou Expressway after the explosion. (Chinatopix via AP)

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A firefighter puts out fire in the aftermath of a tanker truck explosion that damaged buildings near a highway in Wenling in eastern China's Zhejiang province Saturday, June 13, 2020. More than a dozen were killed and others injured after the tanker truck veered off the Shenyang-Haikou Expressway after the explosion. (Chinatopix via AP)

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Firefighters look for residents trapped in collapsed buildings in the aftermath of a tanker truck explosion near a highway in Wenling in eastern China's Zhejiang province Saturday, June 13, 2020. More than a dozen were killed and others injured after the tanker truck veered off the Shenyang-Haikou Expressway after the explosion. (Chinatopix via AP)

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In this photo released by Xinhua News Agency, firefighters work at the site of buildings damaged after a tanker truck explosion on a highway in Wenling, in eastern China's Zhejiang Province on Saturday, June 13, 2020 The tanker truck exploded on a highway in southeastern China on Saturday, collapsing nearby buildings and workshop, killing some and injuring others, state media said. (Wang Junlu/Xinhua via AP)

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Firefighters work amongst collapsed buildings in the aftermath of a tanker truck explosion near a highway in Wenling in eastern China's Zhejiang province Saturday, June 13, 2020. More than a dozen were killed and others injured after the tanker truck veered off the Shenyang-Haikou Expressway after the explosion. (Chinatopix via AP)

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In this aerial photo released by Xinhua News Agency, a view of the highway and damaged buildings in the aftermath of a tanker truck explosion near Liangshan village of Wenling city in eastern China's Zhejiang province on June 14, 2020 The truck carrying liquefied gas exploded around 4:45 p.m. on Saturday June 13, 2020 on the Shenyang-Haikou Expressway before veering onto a factory workshop causing a second explosion according to local reports. (Huang Zongzhi/Xinhua via AP)

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In this aerial photo released by Xinhua News Agency, a view of the damaged buildings in the aftermath of a tanker truck explosion near Liangshan village of Wenling city in eastern China's Zhejiang province on June 14, 2020 The truck carrying liquefied gas exploded around 4:45 p.m. on Saturday June 13, 2020 on the Shenyang-Haikou Expressway before veering onto a factory workshop causing a second explosion according to local reports. (Huang Zongzhi/Xinhua via AP)

4 dead after tanker truck explodes on highway in China

By Associated Press AP

PUBLISHED 12:34 PM ET Jun. 14, 2020

BEIJING (AP) — A tanker truck exploded on a highway in southeastern China on Saturday, killing 18 people and injuring at least 189 others, authorities said.

The explosion caused extensive damage to nearby buildings. One photo showed firefighters hosing down a row of buildings with blown-out facades well into the night.

The truck carrying liquefied gas exploded around 4:45 p.m. on the Shenyang-Haikou Expressway south of Shanghai in Zhejiang province, the official Xinhua News Agency said, citing local authorities.

A second explosion followed when the truck fell onto a factory workshop, Xinhua said.

The Wenling city government information office said on its social media account that houses and workshops collapsed and 189 people were treated at six hospitals.

A worker at a nearby restaurant told Xinhua that the blast shattered the windows of her home, but that her mother and brother were unharmed.

Copyright 2020 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed without permission.