A woman has lost her life and four other people have been injured after a truck carrying Takata’s airbag inflators and propellants was involved in an accident.
The vehicle was en route to one of the automotive parts supplier’s warehouses in Eagle Pass, Texas, on August 22, when it was crashed in front of a house, according to Reuters.
Citing a Takata spokesman in Tokyo, the news agency states that the truck, which was carrying the dangerous airbag inflators and propellants that use ammonium nitrate, a highly volatile chemical compound, caught fire and then exploded with excessive force, claiming the life of one woman and injuring four. The blast was so powerful that it damaged approximately 10 nearby homes and parts of the truck were found almost a mile away from the scene.
“Takata has strict safety procedures relating to the transportation of its products that meet or exceed all regulatory requirements. Our thoughts are with the family of the woman who died as a result of this accident, and with the four people injured“, Takata said, quoted by AutomotiveNews.
The 69-year old woman who was killed on the spot was searched by the local authorities for two days, but the action was eventually called off after she was identified by dental records. As for the 20-year old driver and his passenger, both managed to escape before the explosion.
Globally, more than 100 million vehicles have been recalled to have their Takata airbag inflators replaced. These are linked to 14 deaths and more than 150 injuries and are known to spread shrapnel throughout the cabin in the event of a crash.