At least 15 people were killed and 44 injured in a highway pile-up in northwestern Gansu province on Saturday.

The pile-up occurred after a heavy truck lost control and crashed into a line of vehicles waiting at a toll station on the Lanzhou-Haikou Expressway.

Deadly road accidents are common in China, where traffic regulations are often flouted or go unenforced.

Violations of traffic laws were blamed for nearly 90 per cent of accidents that caused deaths or injuries that year.

An investigation into the cause of the accident is underway as per reports.

(Featured image: India.com)