Senior security and traffic officials closed yesterday a section of Khurais Road in Riyadh and have warned people to stay away from the tanker’s explosion site because of the massive gas leak.
Meanwhile, Asian embassies have sent senior diplomats, including welfare attaches, to investigate the explosion and to determine the needs of the injured workers admitted to different city hospitals.
“The roads leading to the accident site will not open before Friday or until we are satisfied that the public health is not in danger and the roads are safe to commute,” said Lt. Col. Ali Al-Qahtani, a top official of the Riyadh traffic department.
Al-Qahtani, however, hoped to beef up traffic enforcement soon. He also encouraged the Saudis and the residents living near the intersection of Khurais Road and Sheikh Jaber Street, the scene of the accident, to stay indoors.
The massive gas leak was caused after the fuel truck crashed on the overpass at the intersection and then exploded yesterday morning. The truck exploded after hitting portions of the bridge, immediately engulfing buildings and cars in flames. After the explosion, Khurais Road was closed, which led the traffic to detour.
The explosion caused a massive traffic jam with many motorists trying to jump onto service lanes. The closure of busy Khurais Road also led to the formation of long queues in the opposite direction. Many drivers were seen taking turns, violating all traffic rules, and speeding, fearing a terrorist attack.
“Some motorists also reported feeling nausea,” said a doctor attending on those injured during the tragedy.
“In fact, a huge amount of fuel leaked over a distance of 300 meters from the truck during the explosion, which may affect health of the people,” said Lt. Gen. Saad bin Abdullah Al-Tuwaijri, director general of Civil Defense. Al-Tuwaijri warned about injuries or suffocation caused by the gas leak, while referring to the crowd of about 10,000 people gathered at the accident site.
He said the crowds of onlookers also hampered the rescue operation. He said that the repairs to utilities and other cleanup activities had started.
Khurais Road is the main traffic artery in Riyadh and considered one of the most beautiful roads in the capital. Many companies in Riyadh prefer to locate their head offices on Khurais Road and King Fahd Road, where huge malls, business towers and skyscrapers are widely distributed.
Meanwhile, Pakistani Ambassador Mohammed Naeem Khan said five Pakistani workers had died so far. “One of the workers is in intensive care unit of a city hospital, while a few of them are under medical care,” said Khan, adding that the team of Pakistani mission comprising two community welfare attaches were the first to reach the accident site.
Another official source said that “some Indian nationals have also died,” without giving any definite number of casualties.
He said that he saw the widespread damage to the area, with dozens of cars mangled and burned by the blast. A bus that had been gutted by the fire stood idle on the overpass, with witnesses saying that the vehicle had been transporting workers whose fate remained unknown.
People told to steer clear of accident site
