Truck driver behind deadly Lanzhou accident detained

Rescuers work at a traffic accident site on the Lanzhou-Haikou Expressway in Lanzhou, capital of Northwest China’s Gansu Province, on Saturday. Xinhua

A truck driver who caused a major car accident that killed 15 people and injured 44 in Lanzhou, Northwest China’s Gansu Province, on Saturday evening has been detained, according to local police yesterday.

Ten of the 44 injured people were seriously injured, according to the local government. The driver was slightly injured.

Traffic control on the Lanzhou-Haikou Expressway had been removed by 11 a.m. yesterday and traffic was restored on the Lanzhou-Lintao Expressway, where the accident happened.

The 45-year-old truck driver Li Feng, from Northeast China’s Liaoning province, crashed a tower-crane truck into a line of 31 vehicles 50 meters away from the Lanzhou South Toll Gate on the expressway at 7:21 p.m. in Lanzhou, capital of Gansu Province, on Saturday.

Primary investigations found that the accident happened due to brake failure on the continuous downhill sections of the expressway. It was also the first time the driver had driven on the Lanzhou-Haikou Expressway.

In response to the accident, the Lanzhou Municipal Public Security Bureau sent more than 260 policemen for rescue.

Gansu authorities have demanded examination on dangerous sections of expressways across the province.