Romania: truck with gas bottles catches fire, no injuries

BUCHAREST, Romania – Authorities say a truck carrying 800 gas cylinders has caught fire and some of the bottles have exploded on a road in eastern Romania. There were no immediate reports of injuries.

The mayor of the municipality of Mihailesti, Dorinel Petre, where the explosion occurred told Agerpres national news agency that one of the truck’s tires exploded Friday morning, leading to a fire and subsequent explosions.

Authorities evacuated residents within a 500-meter (550-yard) radius and closed traffic on a section of the main road between the cities of Urziceni and Buzau, diverting traffic to smaller roads.

Local government official George Sava said that firefighters had managed to extinguish most of the fire by later morning.

In 2004, a truck carrying tons of fertilizer exploded on the same road, leaving 18 dead.