Three dead in massive fireball after truck carrying ammonium nitrate explosives slams into car and blows up near Auski Roadhouse on WA’s Great Northern Highway
Three dead in massive fireball after truck carrying ammonium nitrate explosives crashes into car and explodes near Auski Roadhouse on WA’s Great Northern Highway
- Lorry carrying mining explosives hits car in WA
- Police say there are no survivors from the tragedy
At least three people have died after a truck carrying dangerous mining explosives crashed into a car – setting both ablaze – in Western Australia.
The prime mover truck, which was transporting ammonium nitrate, collided with a car sparking a deadly chemical fire in WA’s Pilbara region.
The accident happened on the Great Northern Highway in Karijini, about 20km south of Auski Road on Tuesday afternoon.
The police could not control the scene due to the intense heat of the fire.
WA Police Commissioner Col Blanch said at least three people were believed to be dead.
A 2km exclusion zone was set up around the crash site after a truck carrying ammonium nitrate collided with a car on an outer WA highway, killing at least three people
A 2 km exclusion zone was established around the crash site to protect the public and emergency services workers.
Commissioner Blanch said there were “no survivors” and described the scene as “a difficult road”.
“This is something that we over and over again as a police force remind drivers out there to be careful.
‘Pay attention and remember that every day you need to be aware of what is happening around you.’
EmergencyWA issued a general HAZMAT warning on Wednesday.
“A lorry on the Great Northern Freeway is on fire, resulting in potentially hazardous smoke.”
The truck is believed to have been carrying a significant amount of ammonium nitrate, a white crystalline salt.
It is widely used in fertilizers and is the main ingredient in many types of mining explosives.
When mixed with oxygen, oil and other fuels, it becomes dangerously flammable.
The tragedy is the third such accident involving the transport of ammonium nitrate in WA this year.
“Crews are undertaking further assessment,” a spokesman for the Department of Fire and Emergency Services said on Wednesday.
“Department of Fire and Emergency Services officers and volunteer firefighters are at the scene and the State Emergency Service has been deployed to assist with welfare.”
Major accident detectives will attend the scene once the area is safe.
It is unclear when the road will reopen.
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