Fuel Track Blast in Riyadh Instantly Kills 22 People

Fuel Track Blast in Riyadh Instantly Killed 22 People

There were 22 people killed when a fuel truck crashed into a flyover in the Saudi capital Riyadh on Thursday, causing an explosion that brought down an industrial building, Saudi state television reported.

Al-Ekhbariya television quoted a Saudi civil defense official as saying that at least 111 people were also injured in the incident.

According to the state news agency SPA, the civil defense department confirmed there were deaths from a traffic accident involving a gas tanker that hit a bridge in eastern Riyadh, causing a gas leak and an explosion in a nearby heavy machinery and vehicles warehouse.

"The truck driver was surprised by a road accident on its route, causing it to crash into one of the pillars of the bridge," spokesman Captain Mohamed Hubail Hammadi said.

He said the incident resulted in a "number of deaths and injuries", without giving specific details.

The civil defense chief, Saed al-Tweijri, said the fire had been brought under control. However, he blamed the tanker driver for the accident, which he said had resulted in the gas leak setting off an explosion in the warehouse.

The structure, several storeys high, was almost leveled by the explosion, with only one corner left standing. Numerous buildings near the blast were damaged and nearby vehicles, including a minibus on the flyover was set on fire, witnesses said.

More than 100 emergency personnel were combing the wreckage on the flyover and searching for victims in the ruins of the building, which housed the operations of Zahid Tractor, a distributor of heavy machinery.

Posted by James Fried on Friday November 02 2012, 4:01 AM EST. Ref: CNN. All trademarks acknowledged. Filed under Featured News, World. Comments and Trackbacks closed. Follow responses: RSS 2.0