9 dead, 43 injured in Shanghai expressway accidents

A destroyed vehicle is towed away the scene on an expressway in Shanghai, East China, Nov 6, 2016. [Photo/Xinhua]

SHANGHAI - Nine people were killed and another 43 injured Sunday in two accidents along an expressway in Shanghai, local authorities said.

According to a Shanghai police press release, police received calls at around 6 am regarding an accident involving multiple vehicles in foggy weather.

In one accident, two people were killed at the scene when a tanker ran into four people who had got off a minibus to look further ahead.

Another accident occurred three kilometers away, when an engineering van was crushed by two heavy vehicles. Five people were killed in the van.

As of 5 pm, a further 45 were hospitalized. Two died at the hospital.

Further investigation is underway.

Shanghai weather station issued an orange alert for heavy fog at 6 am, the second highest level in China's weather alert system, indicating fog with visibility of less than 200 meters for at least six hours.