An explosion outside the Trump International Hotel in Las Vegas has killed one person and injured seven others. Authorities said a bomb or large fireworks carried in the truck’s bed caused the blast, not the vehicle itself.
The Cybertruck, parked at the glass entry of the Trump International Hotel exploded into flames; smaller fireworks-type explosions followed as the incident had the hotel evacuate immediately.
The Las Vegas sheriff, Kevin McMahill mentioned that the truck had gasoline camping fuel canisters and firework mortars; he further made it clear that the design was such that a minimum of damage occurred where most of it went upwards damaging the glass on the doors only.
Watch the video here:
The Tesla the blew up.
That’s not a battery failure that’s a fucking bomb pic.twitter.com/uFDdn18Oo0— Hasid lafre (@HasidLafre) January 1, 2025
Elon Musk’s Reaction
Tesla CEO Elon Musk clarified on X, “The explosion was caused by very large fireworks and/or a bomb carried in the bed of the rented Cybertruck and is unrelated to the vehicle itself. All vehicle telemetry was positive at the time of the explosion.”
We have now confirmed that the explosion was caused by very large fireworks and/or a bomb carried in the bed of the rented Cybertruck and is unrelated to the vehicle itself.
All vehicle telemetry was positive at the time of the explosion. https://t.co/HRjb87YbaJ
— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) January 1, 2025
Earlier Musk posted on X, “The whole Tesla senior team is investigating this matter right now. Will post more information as soon as we learn anything. We’ve never seen anything like this.”
What Has Joe Biden Said?
The FBI and local law enforcement are investigating the incident as an isolated event. However, President Joe Biden acknowledged authorities were exploring potential links between the Las Vegas explosion and an earlier attack in New Orleans, where a truck plowed into a New Year’s crowd, killing 15 people.
However, he warned that nothing had been established yet.
Sheriff McMahill confirmed that one was killed inside the Cybertruck, while seven others were left with minor injuries.
The scene was chaotic, raising immediate concerns about public safety in New Year’s celebrations.
Video captured from the scene where the truck had been parked just before the explosion, queried the origin of the bomb and maybe its intent.
NEWS: Law enforcement officials have released images of the exploded Cybertruck and the leftover fireworks and gas tanks. The truck itself helped contain the blast and held up extremely well.
Authorities believe the items in the bed were connected to a detonation system… pic.twitter.com/Jf0zPl8KlA
— Sawyer Merritt (@SawyerMerritt) January 2, 2025
In terms of design, the Cybertruck minimized damage and impact to the surrounding area when the explosion happened.
McMahill said that the robust design of the Cybertruck contained much of the blast, which limited further destruction. “The fact that it was a Cybertruck really limited the damage,” he said, adding that the hotel doors nearby were left unbroken despite the intensity of the explosion.
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