- The truck collided with a car, prompting hundreds of firefighters to battle the fire.
- The explosion’s force blew out windows and demolished balconies.
- The fire was extinguished by 04:30, with four children injured.
A truck carrying 60 tons of liquefied natural gas crashed and exploded in the Mongolian capital, resulting in the deaths of six people, including three firefighters.
The collision with a car in Ulaanbaatar on Wednesday morning prompted the dispatch of hundreds of firefighters to battle the blaze.
The fire spread to nearby buildings, injuring at least 11 people. Erdenebold Sukhbaatar, a 40-year-old lawyer and resident, recounted experiencing an earthquake-like sensation followed by a bright light after the crash, which occurred just after 01:00 local time (17:00 GMT on Tuesday).
“It was very strong. And then I’ve never seen such kind of, like, strong [explosion]. It was like 60, you know, tons, which means 60,000, liters [of gas] you know. It was like huge liquid gas.”
He watched the ensuing fire spread to “almost three different buildings”, climbing at speed.
A resident informed Reuters that as they realized their building was on fire, flames had already engulfed their front door, compelling them to break out through the back door. When they glanced back, they observed the fire had reached the top floor of the building.
“It all happened very quickly,” they said.
Another individual explained how the explosion’s force not only blew out their windows but also demolished their balcony.
Mongolia’s Deputy Prime Minister:
Mongolia’s deputy prime minister, Sainbuyan Amarsaikhan, reported that they had documented no casualties from inside any of the buildings.”
However, he disclosed that the firefighters succumbed to a second explosion, which forcefully propelled a part of the truck, resulting in the “tragic loss” of lives.
The Mongolian National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA), which stated that the fire was extinguished by 04:30, added that among the injured were four children, including one undergoing treatment for poisoning.
Questions are now arising regarding why authorities permitted a tank carrying such a hazardous load to travel into the residential neighborhood, which includes many schools.
“You know, if it happened [in] the daylight time, especially during the rush hours in the morning or in the evening, [it would] be more harmful,” Erdenebold Sukhbaatar pointed out.
“This shows city planning is really bad,” Ankhbayar Galbadrakh told the private news agency. “All of these trucks – with gas or without gas – should travel outside of the city limit.”
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