1 killed in LPG truck-chemical tanker collision on Jaipur-Ajmer highway

Nearly 200 cylinders burst in succession, scattering debris and metal shells up to 500 metres away into nearby fields

A 36-year-old man was killed while at least 350 cylinders were exploded after a tanker carrying transformer oil collided with a truck loaded with LPG cylinders, triggering a massive fire, on the Jaipur-Ajmer highway near Mokhampura in Jaipur’s Dudu on Tuesday evening.

The incident took place at around 10 pm on Tuesday. (PTI)

“The incident took place at around 10 pm on Tuesday. The driver of the tanker was burnt to death. It was heading towards Panipat in Haryana from Ajmer and hit the truck from behind after losing control due to overspeeding. The truck was parked at a dhaba beside the highway,” The DSP of Dudu circle, Deepak Khandelwal said, “

According to the police, the tanker driver lost control after spotting an RTO vehicle. “The tanker driver somehow wanted to avoid the RTO vehicle and suddenly swerved after spotting it but ended up ramming into the parked truck near a roadside dhaba. The collision caused sparks from the fuel that came in contact with the LPG cylinders leading to the fire,” said Khandedlwal.

He further added that the tanker driver, Ramraj Meena (36), tried to escape, but failed as the fire from the truck caught the cabin of the tanker along with five more vehicles running on the highway.

“However, the fire could not come in contact with the chemical of the tanker. Otherwise, the situation could have been worsened. The passengers of the other vehicles were also immediately rescued by the local people and therefore no more casualty was reported. The driver of the truck is also safe as he was having food at the dhaba,” said Khandelwal.

However, a passer-by got injured after being hit by an exploded cylinder and was admitted to the SMS Hospital, said DSP.

Meanwhile, the fire caused rapid explosions of the cylinders loaded in the truck for the next two hours causing a widespread panic in the area.

“Moments after the fire broke out, a series of powerful blasts followed as the cylinders exploded one after another. All the 350 cylinders in my truck burst in succession, scattering debris and metal shells up to 500 meters away into nearby fields,” said the driver of the truck, Shahrukh.

Eye-witnesses said the explosions were so intense that the sound could be heard in far away places. The blasts continued for nearly two hours before firefighters managed to bring the inferno under control after a gruelling four-hour operation.

“Around 15 fire tenders were deployed at the scene that brought the fire under control by 3 am,” said DSP Khandelwal.

Meanwhile, traffic on both sides of the busy highway was halted immediately after the explosions, and the stretch remained closed for nearly five hours, said DSP. It was reopened around 5 am on Wednesday.

Soon after the incident, Rajasthan deputy chief minister Prem Chand Bairwa and Jaipur Rural SP Rashi Dogra Dudi reached the spot to inspect the situation.

“There were two people in the tanker including the deceased driver. We are searching for another person who is absconding. The situation is under control now. Further investigation is underway,” Bairwa told the reporters.

The deceased driver Meena’s body was also sent for an autopsy while an FIR is also being lodged for negligent driving against the tanker, said police.

In December last year, an LPG tanker collided with a truck near Bhankrota in Jaipur on the same highway, sparking a massive fireball that turned a stretch of the highway into an inferno, killing 19 people.

“The incident took place when the truck was taking a U-Turn, lost control, and hit several other vehicles in the traffic, including a tanker carrying LPG gas that immediately had a blast and caught fire in the area” stated the Bhankrota SHO Manish Gupta.