“20 Killed in Zhejiang Gas Tanker Explosion”, 15 June 2020

A gas tanker explosion in eastern China’s Zhejiang province has killed at least 20 people and seriously injured about two dozen others, local authorities said…

The tanker carrying liquefied petroleum gas was en route to the city of Wenzhou from Ningbo when it exploded along a highway… authorities said in an earlier statement…

According to a statement by the Ministry of Public Security, the vehicle went airborne after the initial explosion, landing on a nearby factory and causing a second explosion…

The blast has severely damaged nearby residential buildings and other factories in the area. The cause of the explosion is under investigation, authorities said…

Rui’an Ruiyang Dangerous Goods Transportation Co. Ltd., the company that operated the gas tanker, has been punished several times for safety violations, according to The Paper, Sixth Tone’s sister publication. Between 2016 and 2018, the company was fined 10 times for violating safety management rules, failing to conduct timely vehicle performance testing, and hiring unlicensed transportation workers…

The explosion has cast a spotlight on the transportation safety management of dangerous goods in a country that transports 3 million tons of such materials by road every day…