(MENAFN- Gulf Times) At least 19 people were killed and 172 injured when a tanker truck carrying liquefied petroleum gas exploded at a highway exit in Zhejiang province in eastern China.

The tanker exploded on Saturday afternoon on the Wenling section of the Shenyang-Haikou Expressway in Taizhou, as it was travelling from Ningbo south to Wenzhou, according to local authorities.

A second explosion occurred when the truck hit a workshop near the expressway. The explosions is believed to have caused some houses and factories to collapse.

Footage from the scene shows flames engulfing numerous cars, thick palls of smoke reaching skyward, and nearby buildings reduced to rubble apparently after being hit by vehicles sent hurtling by the force of the explosion.

The ministries for public security and civil protection sent working groups to the scene of the accident. Rescue work is ongoing, with over 2,600 emergency responders mobilized, broadcaster RTHK reported.

China's Yicai financial news service reported that the company responsible for the tankers, Ruiyang Dangerous Goods Transportation, was penalized 11 times in the past four years for violating equipment safety regulations and failing to carry out vehicle inspections.

MENAFN1406202000670000ID1100321785