Six individuals, including three firefighters, lost their lives in Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia, when a truck transporting 60 tons of liquefied natural gas crashed and exploded.
The incident occurred around 01:00 local time on Wednesday, triggering a massive blaze that quickly spread to nearby structures.
Witnesses compared the impact to an earthquake, with one resident mistaking it for a plane crash. The fire, fueled by the gas, rapidly engulfed multiple buildings.
Erdenebold Sukhbaatar, a 40-year-old lawyer, described the explosion as unprecedented, stating, “It was like 60, you know, tons, which means 60,000 liters [of gas]. It was like huge liquid gas.”
The intensity of the fire led to its swift spread, affecting several buildings in its path. Residents had little time to react, with one individual recounting how their front door was already engulfed in flames by the time they realized their building was on fire, forcing them to escape through the back door.
Sainbuyan Amarsaikhan, Mongolia’s deputy prime minister, confirmed that no casualties were reported from inside the buildings.
However, he revealed that the three firefighters lost their lives in a second explosion caused by the forceful ejection of part of the truck.
The Mongolian National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA) reported that the fire was extinguished by 04:30.
Questions have arisen regarding the decision to allow a truck carrying such a hazardous load into a residential area with numerous schools.
Erdenebold Sukhbaatar criticized the city planning, emphasizing the potential for greater harm if the incident had occurred during rush hours.
Another individual, Ankhbayar Galbadrakh, suggested that all trucks, whether carrying gas or not, should be restricted from traveling within city limits to prevent such incidents.
Source-BBC
