The Latest: Truck driver killed in Arkansas explosion

CAMDEN, Ark. – The Latest on the explosion of a truck in southern Arkansas (all times local):

12:45 p.m.

Authorities say a truck driver hauling ammonium nitrate was killed when his vehicle exploded on a south Arkansas highway.

Arkansas State Police say authorities have recovered the remains of 63-year-old Randall McDougal of El Dorado following the Wednesday morning blast west of Camden, about 100 miles (160 kilometres) south of Little Rock. State police say the driver was employed by Blann Trucking Co. of Hampton and that the vehicle was carrying ammonium nitrate.

State police say the truck’s brakes caught fire early Wednesday, and witnesses said McDougal left the vehicle to try to extinguish the blaze. Witnesses told police that the driver had returned to the truck when it exploded.

The blast left a large hole that stretches across the highway.

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6:30 a.m.

Authorities say a commercial truck carrying an unknown chemical has exploded on a highway in south Arkansas, killing one person and creating a massive crater in the road.

The Arkansas Department of Emergency Management says one person was killed in the explosion Wednesday morning west of Camden, or about 100 miles (160 kilometres) south of Little Rock. Arkansas State Police spokesman Bill Sadler says no other vehicles are believed to be involved other than the truck. He says some residents reported that their windows were blown out by the blast.

Sadler says authorities are looking for documentation in the vehicle to determine what kind of chemical was on board.

The Arkansas Department of Transportation says the blast created a 15-foot (4.5 metre) crater in the road.