Brake failure the cause of Lanzhou crash

Local police found the cause of a major car accident in Lanzhou, Northwest China's Gansu province that killed 15 people and injured 45 was a brake failure in the vehicle, according to a statement released from the official account of the local municipal government on Friday.

The accident happened on the night of Nov 3. A tower-crane truck crashed into a heavy box truck then crashed into a line of 31 minibuses on the Lanzhou-Haikou expressway, leaving 33 vehicles damaged 50 meters from the Lanzhou South Toll Station.

After investigation, the police found Li Feng, the truck driver, had discovered the vehicle had a braking problem on Oct 21 and already told Li Jialin, the owner, to examine the brake system. But when the accident happened, the vehicle owner hadn't fixed the problem, the statement said.

The vehicle's brakes didn't meet motor vehicles safety requirements issued by the Ministry of Public Security, causing the truck driver to consistently use the braking. This heated the tow hitch and trailer of the car, thus weakening its braking efficiency.

The police also found when the truck's brake was out of control, the accident driver didn't adopt any emergency measures during a 8-minute route of up to 10 kilometers.

The accident truck was also found to be illegally carrying an oversized, loose load, which increased potential safety risks, the statement added.

The driver, Li Feng, and the owner, Li Jialin were detained by the local police.

The case is still under investigation.