Visuals from the area showed massive flames rising from a fuel station as fire tenders struggled to extinguish the blaze.
At least eleven people were killed, and over 35 others were injured in a major fire on the Jaipur-Ajmer National Highway on Friday morning. The incident occurred after a truck carrying chemicals collided with several other vehicles. Of the about 35 people injured, nearly half are "very critical", Rajasthan Health Minister Gajendra Singh Khimsar said.
Around 37 vehicles engulfed in flames. Visuals from the area showed massive flames rising from a fuel station as fire tenders struggled to extinguish the blaze.
The state health minister Gajendra Singh Khimsar said that nearly half of the injured were "very critical."
"A total of 11 people have died. Five were brought dead to SMS hospital. Five succumbed during treatment. One death was reported from Jaipuria hospital," Dr Deepak Maheshwari, Principal, SMS Medical College, said.
Jaipur Police Commissioner Biju George Joseph, who was at the crash site, said an outlet nozzle of the LPG tanker was damaged in the collision, leading to a gas leak that caused the blaze.
More than 25 ambulances reached the site and transported victims to the hospital. Traffic was halted on a 300-metre stretch of the highway, leading to a long queue of vehicles.
Rajasthan Chief Minister Bhajanlal Sharma visited the SMS Hospital, where the injured were being treated. He spoke with doctors and directed officials to ensure proper treatment and other necessary arrangements.
In a post in Hindi on X, the chief minister said, "Deeply saddened to hear the news of casualties in the gas tanker fire incident on the Jaipur-Ajmer National Highway. As soon as the information about the incident was received, I went to the SMS Hospital and directed the doctors there to provide immediate necessary medical facilities and take proper care of the injured."
Besides Sharma, President Droupadi Murmu, Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Rajasthan Governor Haribhau Bagade and former chief minister Ashok Gehlot expressed their condolences for the loss of lives in the crash.
In a post on X, the prime minister announced an ex gratia of Rs 2 lakh from the PMNRF to the next of kin of the deceased and Rs 50,000 to the injured.
Road accidents are common in India. Data from the Ministry of Road Transport and Highways shows a troubling rise in road fatalities between 2018 and 2022. The total number of road accident fatalities in 2022 reached 1,68,491, up from 1,53,972 in 2021, according to the government라이브 바카라 ‘Road Accidents in India, 2022’ report.
Uttar Pradesh, Maharashtra, and Tamil Nadu have recorded the highest number of road accidents over the past five years. More than 7.77 lakh fatalities were reported across the country during the 2018-2022 period, the ministry said.