One dead after Tesla Cybertruck explodes outside Trump's Las ...

One person has died and seven others have been injured after a Tesla Cybertruck caught fire and exploded outside president-elect Donald Trump's Las Vegas hotel, authorities said.

A county spokesperson said a fire in the valet area of the Trump International Hotel Las Vegas was reported at 8:40am on Wednesday, local time.

What we know about the Cybertruck explosion in Las Vegas

Investigations continue into the explosion of a Tesla Cybertruck outside US president-elect Donald Trump's Las Vegas hotel.

Las Vegas Metropolitan Police and Clark County Fire Department officials said a person died inside the vehicle and that they were working to get the body out.

Another seven people nearby received minor injuries and were taken to a hospital for treatment.

Videos taken by witnesses inside and outside the hotel showed the vehicle exploding and flames pouring out of it, as it sat just outside the hotel's entrance.

"Obviously a Cybertruck, the Trump hotel — there's lots of questions that we have to answer," Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department Sheriff Kevin McMahill said at a press conference.

He said canisters of gasoline and camp fuel, as well as firework materials were found in the back of the truck.

FBI special agent in charge Jeremy Schwartz said it was not yet clear whether the blast was an act of terrorism.

"I know everybody's interested in that word, and trying to see if we can say, 'Hey, this is a terrorist attack.' That is our goal, and that's what we're trying to do," Mr Schwartz said.

He added that the FBI had identified the person driving the vehicle, which had been rented in Colorado, but was not yet ready to publicly identify the driver.

Tesla CEO Elon Musk said the blast was unrelated to the Cybertruck itself, and said it appeared "likely to be an act of terrorism".

"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," Mr Musk said in a post on X.

President Joe Biden said police and investigators were looking into whether there was "any possible connection" with the truck attack in New Orleans that has killed 15 people.

Car rental company Turo confirmed in a blog post "with a heavy heart" that both the Tesla Cybertruck and the pick-up truck used in the New Orleans attack were hired using the company's app.

The company said its team was working to help authorities investigate both incidents.

Sheriff McMahill said police were mindful of the New Orleans attack.

"As you can imagine with an explosion here on iconic Las Vegas Boulevard, we are taking all the precautions that we need to take to keep our community safe," he said.

"We're looking for secondary devices."

The Trump Hotel was evacuated after the incident and most of the visitors were moved to another hotel.

In Las Vegas, Brazilian tourist Ana Bruce said she heard three explosions.

"The first one where we saw the fire, the second one, I guess, was the battery or something like that, and the third was the big one that smoked the entire area and was the moment when everyone was told to evacuate and stay away," Ms Bruce said.

Eric Trump, a son of the president-elect, posted about the fire on X and praised the fire department and local law enforcement.

The 64-storey hotel is just off the famed Las Vegas Strip and across the street from the Fashion Show Las Vegas shopping mall.

AP/Reuters/ABC