Devastating 56-vehicle pile-up on China motorway kills 17

At least 17 people have been killed in a huge pile-up on a Chinese motorway that involved 56 vehicles.

The accident happened during snowy and wet weather on a stretch of road between Beijing and Kumming in the northern province of Shanxi.

Photos from the scene on Monday showed lorries and cars turned over and tangled together in a large pile-up.

As well as the fatalities, 37 people were injured, although they were reported to be stable after treatment.

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It is thought slippery conditions and fog were among the contributing factors to the accident, which happened at about 9am on Monday.

One driver said they saw two vehicles blocking the road horizontally and slammed on the brake.

Firefighters who arrived at the scene of devastation tackled a blaze at the front of the pile-up.

The road was blocked as rescuers tried to free those trapped in their vehicles.

The motorway remained closed to traffic a day after the accident and an investigation is underway.