CARACAS: At least 16 people died and six more were seriously injured after a fiery 17-vehicle pile-up on a highway in Venezuela, the country's fire chief Juan Gonzalez told AFP on Wednesday.
"So far there are 16," Gonzalez said when asked about the death toll in the crash earlier in the day on the Gran Mariscal de Ayacucho highway, which connects the capital, Caracas, with the east of the country.
Carlos Perez Ampueda, deputy minister for risk management and civil protection, had earlier reported eight fatalities in the incident, but warned that the number would "increase significantly."
Perez Ampueda said 17 vehicles were impacted in the pile-up, which occurred when a speeding truck crashed into several cars.
Images of huge flames at the scene of the accident were shared widely on social media on Wednesday morning.
"We have control of all the vehicles that were on fire," including a bus that was completely burnt, Perez Ampueda said.