An explosion in a truck that led it to collide with five cars in Footscray, located to Melbourne’s west, resulted in the death of one man around 11:55 am on Tuesday.

A woman, in her 30s, was taken to the Western Hospital after she sustained injuries from the accident. She is now in a stable condition.

According to police, it is still not clear what caused the explosion, but investigators are examining the LPG cylinders at the back of the truck. Nearby houses have been evacuated and pedestrians moved away over fears that there could be more explosions.

The Age reported that some of the buildings located near the site of explosion suffered damages due to the impact of the explosion. The street has been closed down, and people are being asked to avoid the area. The street is expected to reopen after 10 p.m. on Tuesday. The explosion has brought down two power lines and blew out the windows of the surrounding quarter block. The truck, according to police, was carrying trash.

The explosion that took place at the intersection of the Barkly and Gordon Streets has created a “chaotic and unusual scene,” according to the police. Four other people have been assessed by the paramedics, but they have not suffered injuries.

“We all jumped, we thought it was a bomb or something,” the Guardian quoted Artur Wydro, a witness from the Alan Mance car dealership located on Barkly street, as saying. “We ran into the street and all we could see was white smoke, so we knew it was an explosion — if something was on fire the smoke would have been black or grey. There was a white fog settling over the street, it was very scary. It looked like someone had thrown clothes all over the street.”

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