Death toll rises to 20 in east China truck blast

The death toll from a Saturday tank truck blast in east China's Zhejiang Province has risen to 20, local authorities said Monday.

As of 7am, more than 170 injured people, including 24 seriously injured, were receiving medical treatment in hospitals.

The accident occurred at around 4:40pm Saturday when a tank truck loaded with liquefied petroleum gas exploded near a village in the city of Wenling on a section of the Shenyang-Haikou Expressway.

A second blast soon followed. The explosions caused the collapse of nearby residential buildings and factory workshops.

The large-scale search and rescue work at the scene is generally completed.