At least 40 people were injured by gas cylinder explosions in northeastern Venezuela

More than 40 people were injured on Monday as a result of the explosions of several gas cylinders that were transported in a truck, in the municipality of Piar, Monagas state, in northeast Venezuela, a local source informed Efe.

The opposition deputy María Gabriela Hernández, who previously reported on Twitter about the event, indicated that several citizens were surrounding the vehicle that loaded the cylinders to demand the distribution of gas, when the explosion occurred.

Government authorities have not offered information on the event, and although the legislator indicated that there were more than 150 cylinders that exploded, a local source assured Efe that there were 161 units transported by the truck.

After the explosion of two gas cylinders, contact was made with the rest of the cargo, which caused the fire to expand considerably.

“People running out of despair threw themselves into the black water sewers to put out the fire,” said the deputy who attached images of the burned cylinders after the explosion.

She also assured that the cylinders were being unloaded at the home of the person in charge of the distribution of the government’s subsidized food program known as CLAP when the first explosion occurred.

As she said, it is the second time that an event of these characteristics has occurred in the last week, although there was no information about the first.

From EFE.