Jaipur: A massive fire accident took place on the Jaipur—Ajmer Highway when a tanker filled with LPG gas exploded on Friday morning as a truck hit the gas tanker. The explosion reached a sleeper bus coming from Udaipur to Jaipur and claimed eight lives, while 35 people suffered burn injuries. The number of deaths is likely to increase as some of the injured are reported to be critical.
As per the officials, the tanker-filled LPG was coming from Ajmer to Jaipur. At around 5.44 in the morning, while taking a U-turn, a truck coming from Jaipur collided with the tanker and within no time, the entire area became a ball of fire. The fire engulfed over 30 vehicles and thick black smoke filled the sky.
The sleeper bus running behind the tanker had 34 passengers on board and as per information 20 of them suffered burn injuries. The bus left Udaipur at 9 pm on Thursday night. At that time, there were 35 passengers in the bus. A passenger had deboarded at Ajmer. The bus was to reach Jaipur at around 6.30 am, but met with the accident at 5.45 am.
There is a crude oil pipeline and two petrol pumps near the accident site, but all are safe.
Dr. Sushil Bhati, Superintendent of SMS Hospital of Jaipur said that there 42 persons have been admitted in hospital while eight have been died. Out of these 4 were brought dead. Among the admitted patients, there are 10 to 12 patients who have suffered more than 60% burns. 6 patients are currently on ventilator.
How Did The Accident Happen?
The tanker filled with LPG was coming from Ajmer to Jaipur. The tanker was taking a U-turn in front of DPS school in Bhankrota. The truck coming from Jaipur hit the nozzle of the gas tanker. About 18 tons of gas spread into the air from the nozzle, and an area of 200 meters became a gas chamber. A few seconds later, there was a massive explosion in the tanker and fire spread to the nearby vehicles.
The gas spreading rapidly in the air made the accident horrifying. People living nearby told many people were trying to take off their burning clothes. Mohan Lal, a family member of one of the injured, said that many people became unconscious due to the gas. The fire was so severe that we turned away. What happened on the spot was not known. Hundreds of birds are lying burnt within a radius of about 400 meters from the accident site.
Rajasthan CM Bhajanlal Sharma tweets, “I am deeply saddened to hear the sad news of casualties of citizens in the gas tanker fire incident on Jaipur-Ajmer National Highway. As soon as the information about the incident was received, I went to SMS Hospital and directed the doctors to provide immediate necessary medical facilities and take proper care of the injured. Rescue work by the administration is continuing. The local administration and emergency services are working with full readiness. I pray to God to grant the departed souls a place in his supreme abode, give the bereaved families strength to bear this immense loss and provide speedy recovery to the injured.”
