HOFUF/ABHA — An accident involving a fuel truck on Al-Ahsa ring road created panic in the area Friday and security forces were called in to deal with the situation. A number of Civil Defense teams and ambulances rushed to the site, while security patrols closed the road and diverted traffic to alternative routes. The fuel truck crashed into a palm tree on the Al-Ahsa ring road and then swerved into the incoming traffic lane, which was empty at the time. The truck was not carrying any petroleum products, but leakage from the truck's fuel tank caused the panic. There were no injuries. In another accident, a huge explosion wrecked a truck transporting juice cartons for a local company on Al-Eidah Mahayel-Abha road, causing a large cloud of smoke. The truck was heading from Abha to Mahayel, and just before a fuel station, the truck's back tires caught fire. The driver managed to steer the burning vehicle away from the petrol station. Asir police said the accident was caused by the truck's rear brakes that caught fire, and that there were no injuries. Both accidents come after a gas tanker exploded in Riyadh recently, killing and injuring many. — SG
