Santo Domingo.- At least two people were killed Monday morning when a diesel tanker truck exploded on George Washington Avenue in Santo Domingo, near the Sheraton Hotel.

The explosion occurred around 7:00 a.m. and caused a massive traffic jam along the Malecón and nearby roads as emergency crews responded to the scene.

José Luis Frómeta Herasme, head of the National District Fire Department, said the victims may have been the tanker’s driver and the driver of one of the SUVs involved in the incident. Their identities had not yet been released.

One of the bodies was found inside an SUV and the other near the tanker. Authorities are working to identify the company that owns the truck.