Police say fog a factor in string of deadly accidents

Seven people died and 35 were injured in a string of accidents at several fog-affected expressway sections in Tai'an, Shandong province, on Monday, local authorities said.

Seven collisions occurred at the Beijing-Taipei Expressway's Tai'an section on Monday morning, killing one person and injuring 11.

Meanwhile, the expressway's section in Ningyang county in Tai'an reported 15 accidents, in which six people died and 24 were injured, according to a statement from the publicity department of Ningyang county.

Heavy fog shrouded the highway on Monday morning, reducing visibility on the expressway to less than 10 meters, China Central Television reported.

"The fog was so heavy and totally blocked my vision. Only two vehicles collided initially but because of the poor vision other drivers kept crashing into vehicles in front of them," Xiao Jianbo, who was driving in the area, told CCTV.

Some of the cargo trucks were fully loaded, which made the vehicles harder to stop, the report said.

The expressway was reopened on Monday afternoon, the statement said.

The accidents also caused a traffic jam on the expressway, and local authorities closed 20 onramps in the western part of Shandong province, according to the official micro blog of Shandong expressway authorities.

Heavy fog also forced the closure of parts of four other highways in Shandong on Monday.

Heavy fog is expected to continue in parts of East China on Tuesday, with Jiangsu, Anhui and Zhejiang provinces among the most severely affected areas, the China Meteorological Administration said in a statement.

xuwei@chinadaily.com.cn