Multiple people have died after a tanker overturned on a Chilean highway and exploded into a massive cloud of toxic gas.
Horrifying footage showed the moment the truck carrying liquid gas overturned and hit a barrier in Renca, Santiago, on Thursday local time.
The vehicle exploded in a conflagration that killed four people, including the driver, and injured 17 others.
The driver had reportedly lost control before the crash.
Motorists could be seen trying in vain to avoid a grey gas cloud as it engulfed a large swathe of the highway.
The cloud then ignited into a fireball, turning a CTV camera’s field of view orange and black before the footage cut out.
Governor of the Santiago Metropolitan Region Claudio Orrego said of the wounded, five people were in a serious condition in the hospital.
“One has burns covering 100 per cent of their body with imminent risk to their life,” Mr Orrego told reporters.
The thunderous explosion was felt within a radius of up to 200 meters and destroyed at least 50 cars, firefighters said.
The tanker belonged to local gas company Gasco and authorities are still investigating the cause of the crash.
