At least one person was killed at a gas station in Ho Chi Minh City Saturday night after a tipper truck crashed into several petrol pumps and ignited a fire.

The body of station worker Le Huu Dinh, eight motorbikes and one car which were reduced to their frames were found after the blaze was put down. The fire started at around 11p.m. at Station No.7 of the Army Petrol Corp. on Quang Trung Street in Go Vap District.

Dinh from the Mekong Delta’s Long An Province died of severe injuries after a pump fell onto him.

According to eyewitnesses, the truck carrying rocks was running on the lane across the street separator when it turned suddenly to break more than 10 meters of the separator and rush into the station. The truck destroyed two pumps before sliding further.

The pumps were gutted in the ensuing blaze and local residents had to break glass doors to save cars and motorbikes kept there overnight. The tipper truck was also damaged badly but the driver was safe.

A nearby supermarket was in danger as it took district firefighters nearly an hour to extinguish the fire after nearly an hour.

Truong Van Nham, a worker at the station, said he was there with Dinh and several customers when the truck hit the station.

Traffic was paralyzed for nearly two hours as vehicles were barred from the area. Power in four nearby wards was also cut to prevent the fire from spreading.

HCMC police are investigating the accident further.

Reported by Ngoc Tho