Tesla truck explodes outside Trump hotel in Las Vegas, killing one amid worries about terrorism

One person died and seven others were injured Wednesday when a Tesla truck caught fire and exploded outside of President-elect Donald Trump’s Las Vegas hotel, authorities said.

Tesla founder Elon Musk said the incident was caused by explosives in the back of the truck and NBC News reported terrorism is suspected.

The Las Vegas incident occurred just hours after a driver plowed into New Year’s Eve Revell’s in New Orleans and what authorities called a clear terror attack.

Las Vegas police and Clark County fire officials said at a news conference the person who died was inside the vehicle. The others received only minor injuries and were taken to a hospital for treatment.

The explosion is being investigated as a possible terrorist attack, three senior members of law enforcement told NBC News.

The fire occurred at about 8:40 a.m. in the valet area of the Trump International Hotel Las Vegas, according to the Associated Press. 

Jeremy Schwartz, an FBI official in the agency's Las Vegas office, said investigators still "don't have a lot of answers."

Musk said on X the electric vehicle company has confirmed the explosion was "caused by very large fireworks and/or a bomb" in the bed of a rented Cybertruck.

He also said the explosion is unrelated to the vehicle and that its "telemetry was positive at the time of the explosion."