By Li Muzi
On Jan. 26, a cargo truck caught fire and exploded inside the Yunwushan Tunnel on a highway in Chongqing, filling the tunnel with thick smoke and forcing multiple drivers to abandon their vehicles and flee on foot. Several people were hospitalized after inhaling smoke. Authorities said no deaths were reported, a claim that drew skepticism from some mainland Chinese netizens.
According to The Beijing News, a truck inside the Yunwushan Tunnel on the Yucheng–Rongchang Expressway caught fire, producing heavy smoke. Multiple netizens said the incident was accompanied by a loud explosion.
Eyewitnesses recalled feeling strong vibrations at the moment of the blast. One person said that because the smoke inside the tunnel was so dense, they had to pry open drainage covers to breathe fresh air before eventually escaping. Staff answering calls on the Chongqing expressway hotline said the incident involved a truck that caught fire inside the tunnel.
An alternative account circulated online but has not been verified. An X platform user who frequently comments on mainland Chinese news claimed that the incident involved a fuel tanker and alleged that the driver, after prolonged workplace pressure and a phone call from company management, lost emotional control. No official source has confirmed this version of events.
Success
You are now signed up for our newsletter
Success
Check your email to complete sign up
Videos shared online show numerous vehicles stopped outside the tunnel as thick smoke billowed from the entrance following the explosion. Multiple people can be seen escaping from the tunnel, and some were later hospitalized. In several clips, individuals’ hands and noses appear blackened by smoke.
The fire and explosion turned the highway tunnel into what some described as a scene resembling an inferno, with drivers covering their mouths and noses as they fled through the smoke.
According to Hong Kong 01, citing Nanguo Morning News, a truck inside the Yunwushan Tunnel caught fire, sending dense smoke throughout the tunnel. Vehicles were backed up across three tunnel lanes, and many drivers in the rear immediately turned around to escape.
A daring escape
One driver who fled the tunnel said his face was blackened by smoke and that he was receiving treatment in a hospital.
A witness surnamed Wan, a tractor-trailer driver for a courier company, said the incident occurred in the early morning hours. He and his companion were driving through the middle section of the tunnel when a truck ahead exploded.
“The vibration was obvious,” Wan said. “I was asleep and was jolted awake.”
After climbing down from the sleeper berth, he said, he found both the inside and outside of his vehicle pitch dark, with the tunnel filled with smoke. He immediately called his companion and fled.
Using his phone flashlight for illumination, Wan said he bent low, held his breath, and ran back through the tunnel. At one point, he lay near a drainage channel to catch some air before covering his mouth and nose with his clothing and continuing.
“The three to four hundred meters inside felt hopeless,” Wan said. “Heat waves were hitting my face.”
He said he briefly doubted whether he was running in the right direction, but when he passed a side opening and felt cold air, he realized he had escaped. He then crossed through a connecting passage to the opposite carriageway and flagged down a car to leave the tunnel area.
During the escape, Wan said he inhaled a large amount of smoke, causing throat pain and severe hoarseness that left him unable to speak. He is currently being treated at the University Town Hospital affiliated with Chongqing Medical University.
Wan added that the Yunwushan Tunnel is approximately four kilometers long and that the truck caught fire as it was nearing the tunnel’s exit. He said he was among the first to notice the danger and escape, while other drivers inside the tunnel also managed to flee.
At noon on Jan. 26, staff from Chongqing Yucheng–Rongchang Expressway Co. said traffic through the affected tunnel had not yet been restored and that vehicles were required to detour. The Bishan District Emergency Management Bureau said that people who inhaled smoke had been sent to hospitals and that there were no reports of fatalities at that time.
Despite the official statement, some netizens from Sichuan and Chongqing expressed disbelief.
“I don’t believe there were no deaths. The smoke was above knee height, and smoke is deadlier than fire,” one person wrote.
“I heard that anyone who inhaled it was poisoned,” another said.
“Yunwushan Tunnel really lived up to its name—completely filled with smoke,” a third commented.
“It’s hard to imagine what people near the explosion went through,” another wrote.
Others speculated that the damage would be extensive, saying repairs to the tunnel would likely cost tens of millions of yuan.
Users on the X platform also posted sharply worded comments expressing broader anger and distrust, statements that were not connected to the official investigation.
Editor’s Note: This article is based on reports from mainland Chinese media outlets, eyewitness accounts, publicly shared videos, and online commentary. Information regarding the cause of the incident and casualty figures has not been independently verified.
