Local Chinese media reports that at least 19 people are confirmed dead while over 170 others were injured after a fuel tanker truck carrying liquefied gas exploded on a highway near the Liangshan village in the Zhejiang province. A second explosion took place after the damaged truck was propelled into a nearby factory building by the initial blast.

As of now, the cause of the explosion is still under investigation, and Zhu Minglian, the deputy mayor of a nearby city called Wenling, said that over 2,600 rescue workers were deployed to the site to help treat injured people, conduct investigation, and search for survivors.

A local news outlet known as the Chongqing Daily stated that the company that owns and operates the fuel tanker truck has previously been penalized 11 times by authorities over safety and health failures.

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