Jaipur: 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.
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.
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.
Rajasthan Chief Minister Bhajanlal Sharma rushed to the hospital to meet the victims and was briefed by Jaipur Police Commissioner Biju George Joseph about the incident. Sharma condoled the loss of lives in the incident and instructed the hospital officials to ensure there was no negligence in the treatment of the injured.
The state government has decided to provide financial assistance of five lakh rupees to the closest dependent of each of the deceased and one lakh rupees to the injured.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi has expressed deep sorrow over the accident and announced an assistance of two lakh rupees from the Prime Minister’s National Relief Fund to the dependents of each deceased and 50 thousand rupees to the injured.
“Deeply saddened by the loss of lives in the accident on Jaipur-Ajmer highway in Rajasthan. Condolences to those who lost their loved ones. May the injured recover soon. The local administration is assisting those affected,” the Prime Minister’s Office (PMO) said.
Governor Haribhau Kisanrao Bagde also expressed deep grief over the incident. He prayed to God to give peace to the departed souls and strength to the bereaved families to bear this grief. He wished for the speedy recovery of the injured in the accident.
A control room has been set up. A team from the Information and Technology Department has been deployed to identify the people with burn injuries and assist their families, using Aadhaar numbers, thumb impressions and other relevant information. UNI
