Crane slams into 31-car line at a toll booth in China after 'losing control of the brakes', leaving 15 dead and 44 injured

  • A crane slammed into at least 31 cars waiting to pass a toll booth Saturday night
  • The horror crash has killed 15 and left 44 people injured, 10 in a serious condition
  • The driver said the brakes malfunctioned during a 17km downhill stretch

By Hannah Moore For Daily Mail Australia and Associated Press

Published: 21:17 EST, 3 November 2018 | Updated: 01:04 EST, 4 November 2018

Authorities in China say 15 people have been killed and 44 injured in a highway pile-up.

The accident happened Saturday night after a heavy truck lost control and crashed into a line of vehicles waiting at a toll station in the northwestern province of Gansu.

31 vehicles were involved in the horror crash, and 10 of the 44 injured were in a serious condition as a result, China Daily reported.

The driver of the truck, who sustained minor injuries, told police the vehicle had a brake failure as he was travelling downhill.  

Pictured: The aftermath of a highway accident in Lanzhou, in northwestern China's Gansu province. At least 15 people were killed in the 31-car pile up

Pictured: The aftermath of a highway accident in Lanzhou, in northwestern China's Gansu province. At least 15 people were killed in the 31-car pile up

The horror crash has left another 44 people injured and 10 of them are in a serious condition

The horror crash has left another 44 people injured and 10 of them are in a serious condition

He is being investigated and are under police watch as officers try to confirm the claim. 

Police confirmed the man lost control of the truck in the 17km downhill stretch, and hit the long line of cars about 7.21pm, China.org reported. 

In the meantime, Gansu provincial authorities have ordered dangerous sections of expressways to be inspected.  

Images show twisted metal and debris littering the road, while the toll station, which leads to Lanzhou, has been closed. 

The truck is reported to be the property of a logistics company in the Liaoning province. 

Last week, 15 people were killed after a bus to plunged off a high bridge into China's Yangtze River in the western city of Chongqing.

In that previous crash, an eight-second surveillance video released by police showed the driver and a passenger arguing and grappling with each other in the moments before the bus suddenly veered across oncoming traffic and off the bridge.     

The driver of the crane said his brakes failed as he travelled down a 17km downhill stretch

The driver of the crane said his brakes failed as he travelled down a 17km downhill stretch

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Crane slams into 31-car line at a toll booth in China leaving 15 dead and 44 injured

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