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8 dead in fire after LPG tanker crash on Jaipur-Ajmer highway

Of the about 35 people injured, nearly half are "very critical", Rajasthan Health Minister Gajendra Singh Khimsar said

PTI

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  • Charred vehicles at the site of the accident on Jaipur-Ajmer Highway, in Jaipur on Friday. PHOTO: PTI

Jaipur, 20 Dec

 

An LPG tanker collided with a truck on Friday, sparking a massive fireball that turned a stretch of the Jaipur-Ajmer highway into an inferno in which at least eight people were killed and nearly 40 vehicles engulfed in flames.

 

Of the about 35 people injured, nearly half are "very critical", Rajasthan Health Minister Gajendra Singh Khimsar said.

 

Jaipur Police Commissioner Biju George Joseph, who was at the crash site with several officers of his department, said an outlet nozzle of the LPG tanker was damaged in the collision, leading to a gas leak that caused the blaze.

 

The crash occurred around 5.45 am, when it was still dark, in front of a school, according to officials. "Vehicles behind the tanker were engulfed in flames. Other vehicles coming from the opposite directions also caught fire and the vehicles collided," he said.

 

The gas leak also spread the fire in a flash, leaving no scope for those in nearby vehicles to come out. People were seen rushing and taking off clothes engulfed in flames.

 

The injured were rushed to the SMS hospital in Jaipur in more than 25 ambulances. Dr Deepak Maheshwari, principal of the SMS Medical College, said eight people have died.

 

He said 43 people were brought to the hospital. Five of them were pronounced dead and three succumbed to injuries during treatment, he said, adding that seven people are on ventilator support.

 

Officials at the spot indicated that the casualty count may go up. Police suspect some people could not get out of their vehicles in time and got burnt.

 

The Rajasthan government announced financial assistance of Rs 5 lakh to the next of kin of the deceased and Rs 1 lakh for the injured.

 

President Droupadi Murmu, Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Union Home Minister Amit Shah, Rajasthan Governor Haribhau Bagade, Chief Minister Bhajanlal Sharma and his predecessor Ashok Gehlot expressed grief over the loss of lives in the crash.

 

In a post on X, Modi announced an ex gratia of Rs 2 lakh from the Prime Minister's National Relief Fund to the next of kin of the deceased and Rs 50,000 to the injured.

 

Earlier in the day, eyewitnesses reported spotting flames from nearly a kilometre away as thick black smoke filled the sky and ambulances and fire brigade vehicles rushed towards the crash zone. A school van driver on his way to pick up students recounted with horror the sight of a man engulfed in flames on the road.

 

The crash initially affected a nearly 300-metre stretch of the highway, leading to a long queue of vehicles. The traffic congestion grew rapidly with time and by the afternoon, choked the arterial road and traffic had to be diverted to alternative routes.

 

Authorities were clearing the highway of the burnt vehicles to resume vehicular movement.

 

After news of the accident spread, Chief Minister Sharma and Khimsar rushed to the SMS hospital. Sharma spoke to administration officials and doctors and issued directions to ensure proper treatment was facilitated. He also visited the accident site and spoke to police officials.

 

"I visited the hospital as soon as I got the incident. This is a very unfortunate incident. Instructions have been given to ensure proper treatment and other arrangements," he told reporters at the crash site.

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