Daijiworld Media Network - Jaipur
Jaipur, Oct 8: A major fire broke out on the Jaipur-Ajmer highway near Dudu on Tuesday night after a truck loaded with LPG cylinders was hit by a speeding tanker, triggering a series of powerful explosions that rocked the area and brought traffic to a standstill.
According to police, the collision was so severe that the impact caused several LPG cylinders on the truck to burst one after another. Some cylinders were hurled several metres away due to the blasts, and flames accompanied by loud explosions could be seen and heard from kilometres away.
Inspector General of Police (Jaipur) Rahul Prakash confirmed that two to three people, including the driver of the tanker, suffered injuries in the incident. “The injured have been shifted to a nearby hospital for treatment,” he said.
Chief Medical and Health Officer (CMHO) Jaipur-I, Dr Ravi Shekhawat, said arrangements had been made at SMS Hospital in Jaipur to handle any emergency cases. “So far, no severely injured persons have been brought to SMS Hospital. One man was given primary treatment at a hospital in Dudu,” he added.
Deputy Chief Minister Prem Chand Bairwa rushed to the accident site on the instructions of Chief Minister Bhajanlal Sharma. He assured that the situation was under control and, as per the latest reports, there had been no casualties. However, he added that the drivers and cleaners of the two vehicles involved were missing, and efforts were underway to trace them.
Several fire tenders were deployed to douse the flames, while police cordoned off the area and halted traffic on the busy highway to prevent further mishaps.
An eyewitness, Vinod, recounted that the truck transporting LPG cylinders had been parked outside a roadside hotel as its driver had gone in for a meal when the speeding tanker rammed into it from behind. “The driver of the tanker sustained injuries and was rushed to a nearby hospital,” Vinod said.
The incident has brought back grim memories of last December’s tragedy on the same highway near Bhankrota, where an LPG tanker collided with a truck, sparking a massive inferno that claimed 19 lives.
Senior police officers and district administration officials remained at the scene late into the night, overseeing the rescue and relief operations.