Truck Carrying 'Sposives 'Splodes in Utah; Giant Crater in Road Ensues

SALT LAKE CITY (Reuters) - A truck loaded with 38,000 pounds of explosives tipped over on a steep canyon road, caught fire and exploded on Wednesday, injuring nine people and blasting an enormous crater in the road.
According to the Utah Highway Patrol the truck had just left an explosives manufacturing plant at the mouth of Spanish Fork Canyon along Highway 6 when it was involved in a traffic accident and rolled over.
The truck burned for about fifteen minutes and then detonated with enough force to create a road crater 30 feet deep and 75 feet wide, police said. The explosives were to be used in mining and construction.
Medical helicopters and ambulances took nine people to nearby hospitals for treatment of burns and injuries from flying debris.
The explosion caused several brush fires in the canyon and damaged railroad tracks that run parallel to the highway. There were also reports of trucks and cars having their windows blown out from the force of the blast.
Highway 6 is heavily traveled as a connecting road between Interstate 15 and Interstate 70. The Utah Highway Patrol estimated that the road would be closed for two to three days while repairs were made.