LPG tanker explosion kills five on Via Dutra highway in Barra Mansa, Brazil.
NEWS:
Five people died after an LPG tanker truck overturned and exploded on the Via Dutra highway in Barra Mansa, in Rio de Janeiro state, Brazil, on Sunday, April 19.
The crash happened near km 273 of the Presidente Dutra highway, also known as BR-116, one of Brazil’s main road links between Rio de Janeiro and São Paulo. The vehicle was later described as a tanker carrying liquefied petroleum gas, or LPG.
Security footage shows the tanker losing control, overturning and exploding seconds later. The blast sends flames and black smoke across the highway and covers vehicles near the impact area. The images directly show the truck overturning and the explosion spreading over the road, but they do not establish the final mechanical cause of the crash.
Initial reports confirmed two deaths at the scene and several injured people. The death toll later changed as hospitalized victims died from their injuries. Later updates placed the total at five deaths.
The victims identified in later reports include Igor Buscariollo Barbosa, the tanker driver; Yasmin Emilly Nogueira Avelino; Jhonatan Wesley Nogueira de Assunção; Brendon Teodoro Marinato, a Brazilian Army sergeant; and Júlia de Lara Prado, also reported in some accounts as Júlia de Lara Prata. Júlia had remained hospitalized after the explosion and died on April 30.
Reports said three passenger cars and a motorcycle were destroyed or badly damaged after the tanker exploded. The fire also spread to areas beside the road, leaving debris and burned vehicles across the crash scene.
The first confirmed dead included the tanker driver and a young woman who was on a motorcycle. Other victims were rescued and taken to hospitals in Barra Mansa, Volta Redonda and later Rio de Janeiro. Jhonatan Wesley Nogueira de Assunção died after being taken to Hospital São João Batista, in Volta Redonda. Júlia de Lara Prado died after treatment at a burn care unit in Rio de Janeiro.
Brendon Teodoro Marinato had been traveling in a car with Júlia when the explosion reached nearby vehicles. Their dog, Pandora, was also reported injured with burns to its paws and survived.
The number of victims also varied across the first hours and days after the crash. Early updates listed six people affected, with two dead and four injured. Later reports listed more victims and then confirmed five deaths after the death of Júlia on April 30. Some reports also described two people still hospitalized after the fourth death had been confirmed.
Emergency crews from the highway concessionaire, the fire department, Samu, Military Police and Federal Highway Police responded to the scene. Rescue vehicles, tow trucks and police units were mobilized during the emergency response.
The crash forced both directions of the Via Dutra to be blocked for safety, rescue work, firefighting and cleanup. Traffic was later reopened in stages. The southbound side toward São Paulo was released earlier, while lanes toward Rio de Janeiro were reopened gradually later that evening.
Reports differed on the exact direction of travel and lane description. Some early accounts placed the occurrence on the northbound lane toward Rio de Janeiro. Other later accounts, citing police information, said the tanker was traveling toward São Paulo when the driver lost control, hit the median barrier and overturned before the explosion reached vehicles on the opposite side. Because of that inconsistency, the final roadway dynamics should not be treated as fully settled in public reporting.
The Civil Police in Barra Mansa opened an inquiry into the deaths. Reports citing police said investigators were analyzing security camera footage and carrying out other steps to determine the circumstances of the crash. The Federal Highway Police was also cited in connection with the investigation into the tanker’s loss of control.
No public report reviewed confirmed a final official cause. The available information supports that the tanker overturned, exploded and struck vehicles nearby, killing five people and injuring others. The confirmed record does not establish whether the crash was caused by driver error, mechanical failure, road conditions or another factor.
