(Beijing) A pileup of around a hundred cars on an icy expressway in eastern China left nine people injured on Friday, state media reported, showing scenes of chaos.
The official CCTV channel broadcast images showing cars nested together, one thrown into height, others reduced to piles of twisted metal.
The road in Suzhou, a city about an hour’s drive west of Shanghai, is littered with broken glass, while orange-clad emergency workers weave between vehicles and onlookers crowd together.
No one was killed in the collision, but three people were hospitalized with injuries and six others suffered minor scratches, according to a WeChat message from local traffic police.
After the accident, which occurred around 7 a.m. local time (6 p.m. Eastern time), traffic was restored, according to the message.
But “due to the cool and rainy weather, the roads have become slippery and traffic conditions are complicated,” police added, asking motorists to exercise caution.
Weather authorities renewed a low temperature alert for large areas of southern China earlier this week, following weeks of extreme winter conditions across the country.
Road accidents are common in China due to the lack of strict safety controls.
In December 2022, a pileup of at least 200 cars caused by thick fog in the central province of Henan left one person dead.