Photo: Chinanews.com

HANGZHOU, June 14 (Xinhua) -- The death toll from a Saturday tank truck blast in east China's Zhejiang Province rose to 18, the local publicity authority said Sunday.

By 4:10 a.m., a total of 166 injured people were receiving medical treatment in hospitals, the publicity department of the city of Wenling said.

The accident occurred at around 4:46 p.m. Saturday when a gas tank truck exploded near a village in the Wenling section of the Shenyang-Haikou Expressway, the department said.

A second blast happened when the blown-up truck fell onto a workshop near the expressway. The explosions caused the collapse of residential houses and factory workshops.

Hundreds of firefighters were sent to the scene for rescue work.  

Rescue and search efforts are underway.