A truck transporting 250 containers with about 7,500 litres of petrol exploded in Preah Vihear province yesterday after flipping over and hitting a drainage pipe.

Yoeum Lum, a traffic officer in Choam Ksan district, said the accident happened when the driver swerved to avoid hitting a motorbike that was crossing the road.

“The fire was started by the truck engine [which hit the pipe]. The fire then spread to the gasoline,” Lum said, explaining the source of the explosion.

The driver of the motorbike, 63-year-old bread vendor Sem Huor, broke his leg in the incident and died later in the provincial hospital in Preah Vihear.

Police have identified the owner of the gas company to which the truck belonged as Heng Meng and are planning to question him. The truck driver fled the scene after the accident and has not yet been identified.