A driver of a fuel truck loaded with diesel was killed yesterday morning after an accident on the highway on the Jubail-Dhahran highway, near Qatif.
The press spokesman of the Directorate of Civil Defense in the Eastern Province, Col. Al-Qahtani, said the incident occurred at six in the morning. “There was a collision between two trucks — a truck filled with 30,000 liters of diesel and a roof truck carrying cars. The fuel truck was partially burned while the driver of the other truck died. Two other cars were partially damaged and the drivers sustained minor injuries,” he said.
He added that the fire spread to an electrical transformer feeding the road lighting. The fire spread dozens of meters in a straight line on the road, resulting in thick black smoke.
The highway was closed on both sides for hours, causing a traffic jam. The accident occurred during rush hour. Jubail receive 35,000 employees every working day.
The spokesman for the Eastern Province Traffic Department Ali Al-Zahrani said the traffic police were investigating the the cause of the accident. They would determine the state of the two trucks prior to the accident and if they complied with safety standards and speed regulations before the collision.
Truck fire closes Jubail-Dhahran highway
