A tanker truck explosion in south-east China has killed 19 and injured 172, the state-run People’s Daily says.

Spectacular footage shows the blast after the tanker carrying liquefied petroleum gas exploded at a highway exit in Taizhou in Zhejiang province on Saturday afternoon.

The dashcam footage shows the truck flying through the air and over a building as the blast sent flames and a cloud of smoke high into the sky.

A second explosion followed when the truck fell onto a factory workshop, Xinhua News Agency said, citing local authorities.

An aerial photo of the damage from the tanker explosion. Photo: AAP

The Wenling city government information office said on its social media account that houses and workshops collapsed and nearly 200 people had been treated at six hospitals.

The cause of the accident is under investigation, media said.

-with AAP