Twenty-six people reportedly died while several others were injured after a truck exploded and blew up part of an elevated highway in China on Friday.

The blast was said to cause a large portion of the roadway to collapse and due to the explosion, over a dozen vehicles fell from the bridge. According to News Talk 650, the cars plummeted roughly 98 feet before hitting the ground.

Reports states that the tragic accident happened near Sanmenxia in the Henan province. 

A picture of the site of the crash quickly made its way on the Internet and revealed the truck's appearance and the damage to the highway following the blast. The tractor-trailer truck that exploded was reportedly in the process of transporting fireworks for China's upcoming Lunar New Year celebrations. 

The reason for the explosion still remains unknown and an investigation on the cause of the accident is currently being conducted.

Softpedia reported that many people believe the shipment of fireworks wasn't being transported in safe conditions. Prior to the Chinese Lunar New Year, the demand for fireworks usually increases drastically, which prompts production and distribution of large shipments of the explosives in a small amount of time.

China National Radio initially gave the announcement that 26 people had lost their lives in the crash. However, spokesperson for the Communist party in Sanmenxia, Nie Jianyin, is giving a different death toll, according to the news site. He said only five people were listed as dead, while eight others are under hospital care and recovering.

Although the cause of the accident may seem rare, it is not the first time that such an incident occurred in the country. In 2006, 36 people lost their lives at a fair in Henan when a large amount of fireworks blew up inside a storage room.

Tags: offbeat