This is a list of notable tank truck fires and explosions.
1960s
Toledo, Ohio, United States (1961) On 10 June 1961 a Standard Oil tank truck carrying 7,900 gallons of gasoline traveling through Toledo, Ohio rolled over and the gasoline that spilled caught fire and exploded killing four firefighters and injuring 11 more. Around eighty people were injured, thirty of whom were children.
1970s
Monte Chingolo, Argentina (1975)
On 23 December 1975, the People's Revolutionary Army (ERP), an Argentine Marxist–Leninist guerrilla, launched an assault on the 601st Arsenal Battalion, the largest in Argentina, in the town of Monte Chingolo, from Buenos Aires. As part of the attack the ERP spilled diesel oil from a tank truck and set it on fire.
Alcanar, Spain (1978)
The Los Alfaques disaster was a tank truck explosion that occurred near a holiday campsite on Tuesday 11 July 1978 in the municipality of Alcanar, Spain, near the town of Sant Carles de la Ràpita. The exploding truck, which was carrying 23 tons of highly flammable liquefied propylene, killed 215 people and severely burned 200 more. Several individuals from the company that owned the vehicle were prosecuted for criminal negligence. The accident resulted in new legislation in Spain, restricting the transit of vehicles carrying dangerous cargo through populated areas to night time only.
1980s
Memphis, Tennessee, United States (1988) On 23 December 1988, a tank truck carrying liquefied propane on the Interstate 40 in Memphis, Tennessee, skidded from a ramp and rolled over. A small puncture released a vapor cloud that ignited in a boiling-liquid expanding-vapor explosion, creating a fireball in diameter. The tank was propelled into a nearby duplex, starting another fire. A total of nine people were killed, and another ten were injured.
1990s
Bangkok, Thailand (1990) A major gas explosion took place on New Phetchaburi Road in Bangkok, Thailand, on 24 September 1990, when a liquefied petroleum gas tank truck crashed on an expressway exit. Large explosions and fires burned through 51 shop-houses for over 24 hours. 88 people died, 36 were injured and 67 cars were destroyed, making it one of the deadliest man-made disasters in Thailand.
2000s
Ibadan, Nigeria (2000)
The Ibadan tank truck explosion was one of the worst ever multi-vehicle accidents, killing between 100 and 200 people near Ibadan, Oyo State, Nigeria. It occurred on 5 November 2000. Estimates of casualties in the disaster remain imprecise. The police and other rescue services did not offer any assistance until sometime after the blast, and so numerous bodies were removed by relatives or volunteer rescuers and privately buried, whilst others were cremated in the fire. Most sources simply give a vague "over 100 dead" despite the official count of 96 recovered bodies and offer statements that "the final death toll could be much higher". What is certain is that local hospitals were totally swamped with hundreds of badly injured burn victims, creating a major crisis in the country's health service, which simply could not cope with so many badly injured patients in this area. The Nigerian police reported that they had recovered 115 destroyed vehicles from the roadway in the aftermath of the accident, implying a substantially higher death toll than initially quoted. Later sources however are restricted to using high round figures rather than accurate data, with Namibian sources reporting 150 killed, whilst Indian newspapers suggesting 200 died. Clearly the real figure is not known and never will be known, because of the failure of the authorities to deal effectively with the crisis. Their failure to do so stirred a serious and violent controversy in Nigeria.
The crash was surrounded by major controversy because in the previous four months over 150 people had been killed in high profile crashes involving gasoline tank trucks and buses. These crashes had led to such incidents as the Abuja bus crash riots, in which four more people had been killed, as well as growing resentment of the police and civil authorities who failed to take any responsibility for the country's appalling road safety record. The reason for the police absence was complicated. The unit with jurisdiction in the area was the Osun State Police, who had been the subjects of numerous corruption complaints. According to local sources, the reason that so many cars were lined up on the motorway before the crash was that the State Police were exacting a toll from motorists from an impromptu roadblock they had set up. This protection racket was what locals said led to the disaster because it caused a jam at an unusual place, causing the tank truck driver to brake suddenly, fail, and crash. The State Police denied the charges, instead insisting that the jam was due to roadworks, and that there was not one single police officer in the district at the time of the crash. The police claimed that when one of their vehicles arrived at the still blazing accident site shortly after the crash, it was attacked by a furious mob, set alight and destroyed, the four occupants escaping only after receiving a beating.
Mihăilești, Romania (2004)
On 24 May 2004, in the village of Mihăilești, Buzău County, Romania, a tank truck loaded with ammonium nitrate rolled over and caught fire before exploding an hour later killing at least 18 people and injuring 13 others.
At 4:57 am local time, a truck loaded with 20 tons of ammonium nitrate rolled over on the express road E85 connecting Bucharest with Moldavia. Soon after the accident, the truck caught fire, so the driver immediately called the emergency number. Two fire trucks arrived at the scene 20 minutes later and started putting out the fire. A TV crew also arrived and started filming for a news program. Meanwhile, curious villagers gathered around the accident site. At 5:47 am, a small explosion took place in the cabin of the truck, followed two minutes later by a larger explosion, killing seven firefighters, the TV crew (Ionuț Barbu and Elena Popescu from Antena 1), several villagers and the truck driver, totalling 18 people; 13 others were injured. Of the 18 killed, two people (the truck driver and one of the firefighters) had to be identified by means of DNA testing. The explosion left behind a 6.5 meter deep crater, scattered human remains and debris over a several hundred meters radius, and caused damage amounting to about 70,000 euros.
Following this event, safety regulations for the transport of chemical substances were improved and ammonium nitrate was classified as a hazardous chemical compound. Ion Gherghe, the director of the Doljchim plant which produced the ammonium nitrate, and the managers of the two companies involved in the transport of this substance without safety measures, Mihai Gună and Ionel Ionuț Neagoe were charged with homicide by negligence and destruction of property. All were found guilty and sentenced to four years in jail, as well as the payment of compensations to the victims' families.
Nosratabad, Iran (2004)
On 24 June 2004, a gasoline tank truck exploded near Iran's border with Afghanistan, resulting in at least 90 fatalities and 114 injuries. The disaster occurred when the truck lost control and collided with a bus at the Nosratabad police checkpoint, located about 110 kilometres (68 mi) west of Zahedan.
Molo, Kenya (2009) A fire occurred in Molo, Kenya, on 31 January 2009, and resulted in the death of at least 113 people and critical injuries to over 200 more. The incident occurred when fuel spilled from an overturned truck burst into flames as onlookers attempted to obtain remnants of the spilled fuel for personal use. Rescuers suggested the cause to be static electricity, a discarded cigarette, or an individual angered at a police blockade who sought vengeance. Police have described the carnage as Kenya's worst disaster in recent times, occurring in a country hit by frequent fuel shortages and just days after a supermarket fire killed 25.
Kapokyek, Kenya (2009) In June 2009 a fuel tank truck fire killed at least four and injured nearly 50 people at Kapokyek village near Kericho, Kenya. The victims were siphoning fuel from the tank truck that had fallen off the road.Daily Nation, 19 June 2009: Three more victims of oil tanker tragedy die The fire was the second such disaster in Kenya that week, following the deaths of at least 25 people in a Nairobi supermarket when a branch of Nakumatt caught fire. The Kenyan media has been criticizing the government for its poor safety standards and inadequate disaster preparation. Following that blaze, the Daily Nation reported that Nairobi's three million inhabitants were served only by one fire station situated close to a traffic-choked business district.
2010s Sange, Democratic Republic of the Congo (2010)
A tank truck exploded on 2 July 2010 in South Kivu, Democratic Republic of the Congo. The truck overturned in the village of Sange, near the Congo–Burundi border, and later exploded, resulting in at least 230 deaths and 196 injured. Mende Omalanga, the Democratic Republic of Congo's Minister of Communications, claimed that the tank truck was trying to overtake a bus. A local police officer reported that the driver was traveling at an "excessive speed".
An explosion occurred as villagers attempted to collect the fuel that was spilling from the overturned vehicle. "There was a crush (of people) and a petrol leak." The minister of communications, Lambert Omalanga, said that one local resident was smoking a cigarette, a spark from which ignited the fuel. Many mud and grass huts were destroyed in the subsequent fire.
Among the dead were 36 women and 61 children. Some of the injured had severe burn wounds. A medical source said that the local hospitals "do not have necessary logistical materials to treat those who are seriously injured". It was initially reported that five of the dead were United Nations peacekeepers, but this was reported later as being incorrect.
Alakija, Nigeria (2010) A tank truck explosion occurred in the Alakija area of Mile 2, a commercial district along the Badagry Expressway, Lagos State, Nigeria. The incident was reported to have occurred on 1 December 2010 when a tank truck loaded with gasoline lost control. The content of the tank truck spewed on the road leading to an explosion that claimed the lives of about 20 people and leaving several others severely injured. Four vehicles, including two commuter buses filled with more than 24 commuters and two private cars, were burnt. Taiwo Abayomi, the Area Commander of the Lagos State Traffic Management Authority confirmed the incident.
Okobie, Nigeria (2012) On 12 July 2012, a tank truck in Okobie, Nigeria, fell into a ditch, spilled its gasoline contents, and subsequently exploded, killing at least 121. The tank truck attempted to avoid a collision with two cars and a bus, veered into a ditch, and spilled fuel. Hundreds of locals rushed to the scene to take some of the spilled gasoline.
About 40 minutes after the accident, the tank truck exploded. The death toll was initially placed at 95, including 93 people who perished instantly and two who died after being brought to hospital. The death toll was later revised to 121 after more bodies were recovered from neighboring villages where they had been taken by their relatives. The number of injured was at least 75, although the actual number was likely higher as some were treated by relatives or at private clinics. Some 34 motorcycle taxis were destroyed. The drivers of the motorcycles, known as Okada in Nigeria, came to scoop up spilled fuel for their vehicles after learning of the accident and became victims of the explosion. In separate statements, the Nigerian National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA) and the Federal Road Safety Commission of Rivers State gave the same figures for the incident.
Shaanxi, China (2012)