Gas station explosion in Bosnia kills at least 1; 20 injured

SARAJEVO, Bosnia – A car crashed into a gas station in eastern Bosnia on Monday, triggering a huge explosion that killed at least one person and injured 20 others, police said.

Several cars were destroyed and police cordoned off the area soon after the blast near the town of Zvornik on the border with Serbia, fearing more explosions of gasoline and gas storage tankers.

Video footage from the scene showed a big plume of smoke billowing from the gas station. Traffic was halted during the police investigation.

The gas station sold both gasoline and liquefied natural gas, or LNG, which many Bosnians use to fuel their cars because it is cheaper. The driver slammed into an LNG pump, which released vapours that set off an explosion of gasoline, police said. The gas station was completely destroyed.