SANTIAGO, CHILE – At least four people died and another 17 were injured this Thursday after the explosion of a tanker transporting liquefied gas in the north of the Chilean capital, in an accident that forced authorities to cordon off the area due to the risk of new explosions.
The accident occurred in the morning at the intersection of Route 5 North with General Velásquez Avenue, one of the main arteries of the city, according to the local station. Radio Bío-Bío.
According to the general of Carabineros of ChileVíctor Vielma, the truck driver lost control of the vehicle and collided with the road containment barriers. After the impact, the truck overturned and the flammable material it was carrying caught fire, causing a powerful explosion.
Fatal victims
The shock wave hit at least seven vehicles that were traveling through the area, which were affected by the fire. Emergency teams worked for several hours to extinguish the flames and assist the injured, some of them with burns of varying degrees.
Authorities have not yet determined whether the fatalities were traveling in the tanker truck or other cars that were hit by the explosion. Likewise, the preventive alert is maintained regarding the possibility of new detonations while the cooling and debris removal work continues.
“We have four fatalities, 10 injured for various reasons, five of whom are at risk of life,” presidential delegate Gonzalo Durán reported to the press.
Traffic in the sector was temporarily suspended, generating significant congestion in the northern access to the capital, while experts investigate the exact causes of the accident.
