Five people were killed after a truck caught fire in a tunnel on an expressway in east China's Zhejiang Province on Tuesday night, the local authorities said.

A preliminary investigation said the incident happened at around 18:27 Tuesday when a tire of a trailer truck caught fire, igniting the goods aboard.

A total of 36 people were hospitalized, five of whom died of injuries, according to the traffic police.

Another eight people sustained serious injuries and are receiving treatment now.

(With input from Xinhua News Agency)