Seven people died and 35 others were injured in a massive fire that broke out following a collision between a gas tanker and a truck outside a petrol pump on the Ajmer-Jaipur national highway in Rajasthan Friday morning, official sources said.
According to officials, the incident took place at around 5:30am near the Delhi Public School.
A tanker filled with LPG gas parked near the petrol pump suddenly caught fire and exploded after a truck collided with it and other vehicles near Bhankrota on Ajmer road. The explosion was so intense that several vehicles within a 300-meter radius were engulfed and completely burned, reported news agency IANS.
#जयपुर के अजमेर रोड भांकरोटा स्थित DPS स्कूल के सामने आज सुबह केमिकल भरे ट्रक में भिड़ंत आग लगने से भीषण हादसा।
“The blast caused a massive fire that engulfed the entire area including a pipe factory while 40 other vehicles including 20 others CNG cars and a sleeper bus were also burnt. The chemicals from the tanker were also spread across the area. At least 30 fire brigade teams are currently deployed to distinguish the fire,” said the officer.
Very soon fire engulfed several vehicles parked nearby. The situation got chaotic and panic spread throughout the area.
The fire was still raging and efforts were on to extinguish it, the sources said.
According to the sources, the injured people were brought to Sawai Mansingh Hospital for treatment. Seven people died, and 35 others injured are being treated. The condition of many of the injured was serious.
According to locals, the explosion was heard up to 10 kilometers away.
Meanwhile, Chief Minister Bhajanlal Sharma reached the hospital to meet the victims and expressed condolences on the loss of lives in the incident.
"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, the Chief Minister 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 underway," the Chief Minister said in a post on X.
जयपुर-अजमेर राष्ट्रीय राजमार्ग पर गैस टैंकर में आग लगने की घटना में नागरिकों के हताहत होने का दुःखद समाचार सुनकर मन अत्यंत व्यथित है।
घटना की सूचना मिलते ही एसएमएस अस्पताल जाकर चिकित्सकों को तत्काल आवश्यक चिकित्सा सुविधाएं उपलब्ध कराने एवं घायलों की समुचित देखभाल हेतु निर्देशित… pic.twitter.com/bIpNI7xT7y
"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," he added.
