Five people have died and eight others were injured after an expressway bridge partially collapsed due to a truck explosion Friday morning in central China's Henan Province, local government said.

The explosion occurred around 8:52 a.m., causing several vehicles to tumble from the 30-meter-high bridge in Mianchi County of Sanmenxia City, a publicity official of Sanmenxia told Xinhua on Friday afternoon.

An 80-meter-long section of the bridge collapsed. The exploded truck was loaded with fireworks, according to an initial investigation.

Six vehicles have been retrieved from the debris.

Search and rescue efforts are under way. Traffic control was imposed on the expressway.

The expressway links Lianyungang City of east China's Jiangsu Province and Horgos, a border port in Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region in the country's far west.