Hundred-car collision on icy China road causes nine injuries

A pile-up of around 100 cars on an icy expressway in eastern China left nine people injured Friday, state media reported, with images of the accident showing scenes of chaos.

Passenger vehicles could be seen crammed up against each other in footage shared by official broadcaster CCTV, with one pushed skyward at an awkward angle and others reduced to pieces of twisted metal.

The wet road in Suzhou -- a city located about one hour west of Shanghai by car -- was strewn with broken glass, as orange-clad emergency responders wove between cars and onlookers milled about.

While no deaths were recorded as a result of the pile-up, three people were hospitalised for injuries and six others suffered minor scratches, according to a WeChat post by local traffic police.

Following the accident, which occurred at about 7:00 am local time (2300 Thursday GMT), normal traffic flow has been restored, the post said.

"Affected by recent cool and rainy weather, roads have become slippery and traffic conditions are complicated," it added, requesting that drivers exercise caution.

Meteorological authorities renewed a low-temperature warning earlier this week for large swathes of southern China, following weeks of extreme winter weather across the country.

Road accidents are common in China due to a lack of strict safety controls.

In December 2022, a pile-up of at least 200 cars caused by dense fog in the country's central Henan province left one dead.