Video: Tesla Cybertruck explodes outside Trump hotel in Las Vegas, killing one

The footage shows the truck parked at the hotel entrance before bursting into flames

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First responders wearing Hazmat gear investigate a Tesla Cybertruck that exploded in front of the entrance to the Trump International Hotel & Tower Las Vegas on January 01, 2025 in Las Vegas, Nevada.
First responders wearing Hazmat gear investigate a Tesla Cybertruck that exploded in front of the entrance to the Trump International Hotel & Tower Las Vegas on January 01, 2025 in Las Vegas, Nevada.
AFP

LOS ANGELES: At least one person was killed and seven wounded when a Tesla Cybertruck exploded outside a hotel belonging to US President-elect Donald Trump in Las Vegas, police said Wednesday.

The electric vehicle pulled up to the Trump International Hotel's glass entrance before a "large explosion," Las Vegas Sheriff Kevin McMahill told reporters.

Video footage shows the stainless steel truck parked at the hotel entrance before bursting into flames, followed by smaller explosions that appeared similar to fireworks.

McMahill said there was "one deceased individual inside the Cybertruck" while seven people received "minor" injuries.

"The whole Tesla senior team is investigating this matter right now," CEO Elon Musk said in a post on X, adding: "We've never seen anything like this."

Musk, who backed Trump in the November election and was named by the Republican to head up a commission to trim government spending, said he would post more information "as soon as we learn anything."

First responders, some wearing Hazmat gear, gather outside the Fashion Show mall across from the Trump International Hotel & Tower Las Vegas as they investigate a Tesla Cybertruck that exploded in front of the hotel's entrance on January 01, 2025 in Las Vegas, Nevada.

President Joe Biden was briefed on the explosion and directed his team to offer any federal assistance needed, the White House said.

He was earlier briefed on a car-ramming attack in New Orleans that left at least 15 people dead on Wednesday.

McMahill referenced that attack but did not explicitly link the two incidents, saying that authorities in Las Vegas were "taking all of the precautions that we need to keep our community safe."

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