BEIJING: A tanker truck explosion in southeast China killed 19 and injured 172, the state-run People’s Daily said on Sunday.

The tanker carrying liquefied petroleum gas exploded at a highway exit in Taizhou in Zhejiang province on Saturday afternoon, an earlier report said. The blast sent flames and a cloud of smoke high into the sky, state-media pictures showed.

The cause of the accident is under investigation, media said.

The government commission responsible for safety production called for the investigation be completed within a certain time, state media reported, without specifying the period. The report said the commission called for traffic police to step up law enforcement focusing on vehicles such as those carrying dangerous chemicals.