Seven people died and over 35 others were injured after a truck carrying chemical collided with other trucks and caught fire in front of a petrol pump on the Jaipur-Ajmer highway on Friday morning, police said. The incident that took place Bhankrota area resulted in dozens of vehicles catching fire.
According to preliminary information, the truck that hit the other vehicles was loaded with a chemical. Videos taken from a distance of the accident site showed thick plumes of smoke arising from the vehicles that caught fire.
Some people sustained burn injuries in the incident, police said.
#WATCH | Bhankrota Fire Accident | Jaipur | The efforts by the rescue team are underway to recover a body from a container gutted in the massive fire that broke out in the Bhankrota area. pic.twitter.com/MbS4DjM1KQ
— ANI (@ANI) December 20, 2024
“The fire engulfed several trucks. The number of trucks involved in the incident is not clear. Some people with burn injuries have been rushed to hospitals in ambulances,” PTI quoted Station House Officer (SHO), Bhankrota, Manish Gupta, as saying.
A nearly 300-metre stretch of the highway was affected by the accident, leading to traffic movement getting stopped and a long queue of vehicles. Meanwhile, a traffic corridor was opened to transport the injured people to the SMS Hospital.
Jaipur District Magistrate Jitendra Soni said around 40 vehicles caught fire in the incident, adding that most of the blaze was under control.
VIDEO | Rajasthan: A gas tanker caught fire on Ajmer Road in #Jaipur earlier today. Several vehicles were also gutted in fire. More details are awaited.#JaipurNews
(Full video available on PTI videos – https://t.co/n147TvrpG7) pic.twitter.com/kIJcm3AQRJ
— Press Trust of India (@PTI_News) December 20, 2024
Station House Officer (SHO) of Bhankrota Manish Gupta said, “It was very difficult to control the fire. Fire brigade teams were not able to reach the burning vehicles. There were three petrol pumps in the affected area but fortunately, they are safe.”
More than 25 ambulances reached the spot and shifted the victims to the hospital.
Shah speaks to Rajasthan CM
Rajasthan Chief Minister Bhajanlal Sharma was seen at the hospital where the injured have been admitted. Union Home Minister Amit Shah also spoke with Rajasthan Chief Minister Bhajanlal Sharma to get information about the fire incident.
“Around 24-25 people have been admitted to the ICU. More people are coming. Many people have been injured in the incident. It is a severe accident…,” SMS Medical College Principal, Dr Deepak Maheshwari said.
Rajasthan CM Bhajanlal Sharma said in a post on X, “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.”
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
— Bhajanlal Sharma (@BhajanlalBjp) December 20, 2024
“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,” the post added.