At least four people died, and 17 others were injured after a tanker carrying liquefied gas overturned and exploded in a devastating fireball on a highway in Santiago, Chile.
The crash occurred on Thursday morning at the intersection of General Velasquez Avenue and Route 5 North in the Renca district. Authorities said the driver allegedly lost control of the truck before it struck guardrails and overturned, leading to a catastrophic blast moments later, as per The NY Post.
The tanker, which belonged to local gas company Gasco, erupted into a massive conflagration that sent a toxic grey cloud billowing across the highway before it burst into flames.
The truck driver was among the four confirmed fatalities. Seventeen others remain hospitalised, several with life-threatening injuries.
General Victor Vielma, Director of Traffic, Highways and Road Safety for the Carabineros, said the truck crashed into guardrails before overturning, People magazine reported.
Residents living near the crash site recounted the aftermath. “We went outside, looked north, and there was a column of smoke,” a local told La Tercera. “We went over there, and people were walking naked, and others were on fire, begging us to call an ambulance because they were all burned. There were people literally naked, on fire.”
Another witness compared the blast to a bomb detonation. “I saw how it started: like an atomic bomb, that's what it was like,” he told La Tercera.
“When I saw the fire coming closer, I ran inside to warn my people to get out. And when I got outside, the flame shot up about a kilometre, really strong.”
Footage from the scene, including video shared by Santiago Metropolitan Region Governor Claudio Orrego on Facebook, captures the seconds leading up to the explosion.
CCTV video showed the tanker stretched across several lanes of traffic as a thick cloud of gas quickly spread, covering nearby vehicles. Drivers were seen rushing out of their cars, with some running away on foot. Others tried to manoeuvre their vehicles to safety, but the expanding plume engulfed a large section of the road. Moments later, the grey cloud ignited.
The screen flashed as the gas turned into a huge fireball, filling the camera's view with bright orange and black flames. The camera capturing the incident was overtaken by the blast, its picture swallowed by fire before the footage cut out. The powerful explosion was reportedly felt within a radius of around 150 to 200 metres.
Firefighters said at least 50 vehicles were damaged or destroyed. The intense blaze also spread towards nearby buildings.
Governor Claudio Orrego detailed the condition of the wounded during a press briefing. “One has burns covering 100 per cent of their body with imminent risk to their life,” Orrego said, as per The NY Post.
