CHILE – Four Dead and Ten Injured After Gas Truck Explosion in Santiago

February 23, 2026

At least four people were killed and ten others injured — five of them in critical condition — following a gas truck explosion in Santiago on Thursday 19 February, authorities confirmed.

Presidential delegate Gonzalo Durán reported the casualty figures to the press, noting that the injured victims are suffering from varying degrees of severity.

The explosion occurred near the boundary between the districts of Renca and Quilicura after a truck transporting liquefied petroleum gas was involved in a collision. Newly released security camera footage captures the sequence of events leading up to the blast.

The crash caused a gas leak, which quickly formed a dense white cloud spreading across the roadway. Moments later, the gas ignited, triggering a massive explosion. Vehicles traveling through the area were seen attempting to flee, but many were overtaken by the expanding gas plume.

According to Macarena Cañas, head of the Flagrancy Unit at the North Central Regional Prosecutor’s Office, preliminary analysis of security footage suggests that the driver of a truck belonging to Gasco may have lost control of the vehicle, possibly due to excessive speed. The loss of control allegedly caused a chain-reaction collision with a larger truck, ultimately leading to the gas leak and subsequent explosion.

Cañas stated that investigators are still determining whether any traffic regulations were violated by those involved. She also confirmed that the driver of the gas truck died as a result of the crash.

Chile