At least 22 killed in Riyadh fuel truck blast

At least 22 people were killed when a fuel truck crashed into a flyover in the Saudi capital Riyadh on Thursday, triggering an explosion that brought down an industrial building, Saudi state television said.

Al-Ekhbariya television also quoted a Saudi civil defence official as saying that 111 people were wounded in the incident.

The Riyadh Civil Defence spokesman confirmed there were deaths from what he called a traffic accident involving a gas tanker that hit a bridge, causing a gas leak and an explosion in a nearby heavy machinery and vehicles warehouse, according to the state news agency SPA.

“The truck driver was surprised by a road accident on its route, causing it to crash into one of the pillars of the bridge,” spokesman Captain Mohamed Hubail Hammadi said.

He said the incident resulted in a “number of deaths and injuries”, without giving specific details.

The building, several storeys high, was almost levelled by the blast, with only one corner left standing. Several adjacent buildings were damaged and nearby vehicles, including a minibus on the flyover, set on fire, witnesses said.