Lorry collides with crash site, causing Venezuela highway to erupt in flames

According to officials, a tragic accident on the outskirts of Caracas, the capital of Venezuela, has resulted in the death of at least eight people. The accident occurred when a lorry collided with several cars that had stopped on the highway after being involved in a previous crash. It has been observed that one of the vehicles involved was carrying a highly flammable liquid. Disturbing videos from the scene depict the highway between Guarenas and Caracas completely engulfed in flames. Emergency services and firefighters from Caracas have been dispatched to extinguish the fire and provide assistance to the injured. The governor of Miranda state, where the accident took place, stated that a total of 16 vehicles caught fire during the incident. The crash occurred after 07:00 local time (11:00 GMT). Social media footage also shows a burnt-out passenger bus overturned on the highway. Carlos Pérez Ampueda, the deputy minister of risk management, explained that the tragedy unfolded after a minor collision between a lorry and three cars in the Caracas-Guarenas lane, where road repairs were being conducted. He further revealed that the larger lorry crashed into this site only 15 minutes later. Ampueda speculated that the driver of the lorry possibly could not see the initial accident due to adverse weather conditions. However, individuals on social media complained that road maintenance has been severely neglected across the country during Venezuela's ongoing economic crisis. Some also pointed out that poorly maintained heavy goods vehicles have been involved in multiple recent accidents.