The Panama Canal has been rocked by a huge explosion, killing at least one person. A fuel tanker erupted into flames at around 4 p.m on Monday underneath a bridge, leaving multiple people injured and firefighters having to battle the blaze for three hours to extinguish it. The Bridge of the Americas spans the Panama Canal, the vital shipping lane that links the Atlantic and Pacific oceans, on the Pacific side. Astonishing footage shows the huge inferno swamping the carriageway, having ripped upwards from the ground far below. A Panama Fire Brigade Service spokesperson said, “Unfortunately, a person has died, possibly a collaborator of the company, who was trapped at the time when the fire and subsequent explosion of tanker vehicles occurred.” They added that two firefighters and two civilians were injured in the blast, but all were now “out of danger.” The Maritime Executive reports that the road was closed as of Tuesday, but that the canal remained open. It comes as global shipping routes are already enduring a brutal spell, with the Strait of Hormuz closed by the war between the U.S. and Iran.
WILD FOOTAGE 🔴
A tanker blast near the Bridge of the Americas in Panama City ignited a major fire that spread to 2 additional storage units at the Balboa tank facility. Reports of 3 injuries, no foul play suspected (as of now) pic.twitter.com/GeAcicCVQe
— Open Source Intel (@Osint613) April 6, 2026
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