Dramatic CCTV vision has emerged out of China showing three people escaping an inferno after their minivan flipped onto its side on a highway.
The video was captured in southwest China’s Chongqing Municipality region and shows the moment the van flipped onto its side and slid for several feet. It is hard to explain exactly what triggered the crash, but it appears one of the rear brakes may have locked up, sending the van into a spin.
Regardless of the reason for the crash, footage shows oil lines rupturing on the impact and, before long, smoke starts to pour out from under the van. Seconds later, it catches fire and those trapped inside can be seen trying to get out.
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At one stage, a man wearing a bright orange T-shirt quickly opens and then closes a door, realizing that he cannot escape that way. A brave passer-by then comes into view and starts to kick the windshield, shattering it with a few forceful kicks. The man with the orange shirt is then able to kick out the windshield from the inside, freeing himself and the two others inside.
It is reported that the minivan driver suffered some scratches from the broken glass but was otherwise uninjured. The two others inside don’t appear to have suffered any injuries.
Authorities appeared on the scene roughly 14 minutes after the blaze started and can be seen using fire extinguishers to control the fire, although by that time, the van was destroyed.