TAIPEI — At least four people were killed and nine others were injured in a pile-up on Yangde Boulevard in suburban Taipei on Wednesday morning.

A concrete mixing truck smashed into more than a dozen cars, sending vehicles flying into the houses on the side of the street.

Taipei Fire Department said the concrete mixture allegedly suffered a brake failure when it was travelling downhill, which may have been the cause for this deadly accident.

The driver of the concrete mixer was thrown out of the truck and was killed in the accident.

Yangde Boulevard is the main road leading to the famous Yangmingshan area, but it is also one of the "deadliest" roads in Taipei. Eleven people were killed in accidents on this road in the past three years.