Truck Carrying Takata Air Bag Inflators Causes Blast In U.S.

A truck transporting Takata Corp (7312.T) air bag inflators and propellants that are at the center of a global recall exploded in Texas earlier this month, resulting in one death and four injuries, the embattled auto parts supplier said on Monday. The truck operated by a subcontractor was traveling to a Takata plant in Eagle Pass, Texas, on Aug. 22 when the accident occurred, causing an explosion which incinerated one home, local media reported. A Takata spokesman in Tokyo was unable to confirm the date and location of the accident, but said the truck was carrying air bag inflators and propellants containing ammonium nitrate, the volatile chemical compound linked to the supplier’s exploding air bags, and that the blast killed one woman.