Truck with 35,000 pds of explosives blows up in traffic

TextAssociated Press
Aug. 11, 2005 07:45 AM

SALT LAKE CITY - A tractor-trailer carrying 35,500 pounds of explosives overturned and exploded on a Utah highway, injuring at least 19 people.

The explosion left a giant crater - estimated to be 70 feet wide and 30 feet deep - on U.S. 6 about 60 miles south of Salt Lake City and forced the two-lane highway's closure in both directions.

Several small fires were started by the explosion and flying debris.

"The entire road is gone, shoulder to shoulder, there's no asphalt left," said Tom Hudachko, Utah Department of Transportation spokesman.
rest here: www.azcentral.com...

Here are some photos







Very powerful explosing it seems.


[edit on 8/12/05 by jetsetter]

Wow. How did the explosives ignite, though? Surely just flipping over couldn't have done it. Maybe the gas tank blew then that set off the explosives?

Btw I'm no expert when it comes to explosives.

[edit on 8/12/2005 by diehard_democrat]

KABOOOM, thankfullu noone died

If that truck was carrying Ammonium Nitrate fertilizer, like I think it was, it would have only taken two things to set it off. That is diesel fuel and a spark from something or somewhere.

The mythbusters did someting similar with a cement mixer truck

I'd hated to have been that truck driver though.

That's crazy... I hadn't even heard about this. I bet that trucker hurtin real bad, as well as anybody else within the blast.

Just imagine a 50,000 gallon tank car full of ammonium nitrate exploding. This would cause massive and widespread destruction, especially in a large city. Just think of a 50,000 gallon tank car full of propane, like what is pictured below, exploding times that by 100.


[edit on 8/17/2005 by gimmefootball400]