Ten people were burnt alive and 12 others were injured on Saturday when a gas tanker caught fire and exploded on the highway near Beelpur Village, 35 kms from here.
Seven vehicles passing the highway also caught fire. The accident caused a huge traffic jam till Sunday morning on the National Highway. Out of the ten killed, three have been identified as Dakshul (6), Radhamohan (40) and Vinod (37), said Nitin Deep, Superintendent of Police, Jaipur (Rural).
The cause of the fire is still unclear, he added. Deep confirmed that the bodies have been sent to the NIMS Hospital mortuary for identification as most of them were charred beyond recognition. Of the injured, the condition of two persons was very critical, he said. Jaipur Collector and District Magistrate Krishna Kunal, who was supervising the rescue operation, said that a tanker carrying inflammable gas (Butadiene) was hit by another truck loaded with motorcycles from the rear and caught fire after the gas leaked.
The gas tanker exploded instantly with splinters hitting seven other vehicles passing through, the Collector said. The bikes loaded in the truck were also gutted in the devastating fire, he added. The gas tanker’s driver probably managed to flee the spot.
Splinters from the explosion also hit a nearby temple and a shop but no one has been reported injured yet.