An oil tanker exploded on the highway west to Tripoli International Airport on Wednesday, with its driver seriously wounded, a Xinhua reporter said.


Firefighters work at the accident site after an overturned tanker truck exploded in Tripoli, capital of Libya, March 2, 2011. (Xinhua/Zhang Meng)
The driver was taken to hospital, while fire engines extinguished the fire. No other casualties were reported.


The accident took place about one kilometer away from Rixos hotel in Bab Ganshir, where some foreign reporters are staying. The tanker toppled and exploded after it had a flat tire, one of the witnesses said.


The explosions triggered panic among residents in nearby areas. A crowd of Libyan people and foreign reporters gathered around the explosion site shortly after the accident.


VietNamNet/Xinhuanet