Tanker explodes in huge fireball on highway killing 4 and injuring 17 | News World

Thick plumes of smoke billow across a highway following a terrifying gas explosion that killed 4 people and hurt greater than a dozen others.

No less than 17 others were injured after a truck carrying liquid gas overturned and exploded on a carriageway in Santiago, Chile, on Thursday.

CCTV footage taken from the Route 5 motorway within the Renca commune shows the terrifying moment the carriageway begins to vanish behind a spreading white cloud.

The plumes of thick smoke create a blanket over the motorway, engulfing nearby vehicles.

The explosion was felt inside a radius of around 150 to 200 metres, and a minimum of 50 vehicles were damaged within the inferno, firefighters said.

It is known that the truck driver, who was affiliated with gas company Gasco, lost control and crashed, in response to local police.

The driving force is believed to have died within the incident, the police chief said.

An investigation has been launched to find out the total details of the incident, Reuters reported.

Debris from the blast flew into three businesses positioned near the highway, but there have been no reports of further widespread damage, President Gabriel Boric said.

No less than five people were reportedly in a serious condition, in response to Santiago’s governor, Claudio Orrego.

‘One has burns covering 100% of their body with imminent risk to their life,’ he said.

Some have shared the harrowing moments following the initial blast as people rushed to rescue those impacted.

A witness told local outlet 24 Horas he saw burned victims lying on the pavement.

‘We couldn’t get people out of the cars, but we were in a position to rescue one or two individuals who were burned on the pavement,’ he said.

Firefighters and emergency services remain on the scene while an investigation into the incident stays ongoing.

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