Shocking videos from Chile’s capital are going viral online, showing the exact moment a gas tanker overturned and exploded in a massive fireball that destroyed more than 50 cars and killed at least four. The footage captures flames shooting into the sky and thick smoke rising over the northern part of Santiago, leaving people stunned at the scale of the blast.

At least four people were killed when the truck carrying liquid gas lost control, overturned and exploded in Santiago on Thursday, February 19. Another 17 people were injured following the incident, according to a Reuters report.

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Authorities confirmed that the truck driver was among those who died in the incident. The prosecutor’s office has launched an investigation to find out what led up to the accident.

The truck was affiliated with local gas company Gasco, though the company did not immediately respond to a request for comment from Reuters.

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Videos circulating on social media show flames pluming high into the air as vehicles nearby are engulfed in fire. The accident happened in the northern Santiago commune of Renca, close to a major highway and an industrial area, which likely added to the scale of the destruction.

Explosion felt 200 metres away

The explosion was so powerful that it was felt within a radius of about 150 to 200 meters. At least 50 vehicles were damaged in the blast, many of them completely burnt out, Reuters reported citing firefighters.

President Gabriel Boric told the news agency that debris from the explosion flew into three businesses, but so far there were no reports of wider structural damage beyond the immediate area.

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Five people were reportedly in serious condition, according to Claudio Orrego, the governor of the Santiago metropolitan region.

“One has burns covering 100% of their body with imminent risk to their life,” the agency quoted Orrego as saying.