Beijing: At least 16 people died after five multi-vehicle rear-end collisions occurred in central China's Hunan Province, media reports said on Sunday.

The rear-end collisions, involving a total of 49 vehicles, happened at around 5 p.m. on Saturday on the Hunan section of an expressway, according to the high-way traffic police department of Hunan Province, reports Xinhua news agency.

The accidents left 66 people hurt.

Authorities have started investigations into the accidents.

The Ministry of Emergency Management has sent a working team to the site of the accidents to guide handling of the accidents, reports the news agency.