A 19-vehicle pile-up near Renshou village, 95 km southwest of Chengdu, capital of Southwest China's Sichuan province, killed eight people and injured 26 on the Chengdu-Zigong-Luzhou Highway, on Dec 8. [Photo/Icpress.cn]

Eight people died and 26 were injured when a tanker went out of control and hit 19 cars in Sichuan province on Sunday, Western China Metropolis Daily reported.

The accident took place in the Renshou county section of the Chengdu-Zigong-Luzhou Expressway around 3:50 pm. Witnesses said the truck was like a bulldozer hitting vehicles and people in its way.

A car trapped below the cab of the truck caught fire, killing the three people inside.

Most parts of the surface of the expressway where the accident took place were covered with gasoline and the air smelt of gasoline, according to Western China Metropolis Daily.

Gu Lei, a policeman, said there was no fog at the time of the accident and the expressway condition was very good. It was the first time he had seen such an accident caused by a truck out of control since he became a policeman nine years earlier, he said.

Police are investigating the cause of the accident.