Two truck drivers injured in explosive collision

Two truck drivers were injured early Sunday in a collision that set off an explosion in Yangpu district, local media reported.

One of the trucks was hauling 250 cylinders of acetylene, a highly combustible chemical, down Jungong Road at 4:30 am, when another truck rear-ended it near the Zhayin Road intersection, according to a report on the news website Xinmin.cn. Two of the cylinders exploded on impact, setting another 34 ablaze, with 26 burning on the truck and two on the road.

The explosion woke up nearby residents, according to the report. Firefighters responded to the report of an explosion and extinguished the fire with foam before 8 am. They also sprayed down the remaining cylinders to cool them so they could be removed from the scene.

One driver suffered a fracture while the other walked away with bruises. Both were sent to the hospital, the report said. Authorities are still investigating the cause of the collision.

The accident delayed traffic on Jungong Road in the morning as police blocked off a section of the road, according to Yangpu district traffic police.