Jaipur: As many as 12 people have been killed and 35 injured in a massive fire accident that took place on Jaipur Ajmer highway when a tanker filled with LPG collided with a truck and exploded on Friday morning. 

As per official the tanker filled with LPG was coming from Ajmer to Jaipur. At around 5.30 in the morning, while taking a U-turn, a truck coming from Jaipur collided with the tanker, triggering a massive fireball that turned the stretch on the highway into an inferno. The fire engulfed over 37 vehicles, including a sleeper bus coming from Udaipur to Jaipur with 34 passengers on board. 

Jaipur Police Commissioner, Biju George Joseph, said that an outlet nozzle of the LPG tanker was damaged in the collision, leading to a gas leak that caused the blaze. Vehicles behind the tanker were engulfed in flames while vehicles coming from the opposite directions also caught fire. 

The sleeper bus running behind the tanker had 34 passengers on board and, as per information, 20 of them suffered burn injuries. The bus left Udaipur at 9 pm on Thursday night. The bus was to reach Jaipur at around 6.30 am, but met with the accident before reaching the destination. 

The gas spreading rapidly in the air made the accident horrifying. People living nearby said that many people were seen trying to take off their burning clothes. Mohan Lal, a family member of one of the injured, said that many people became unconscious due to the gas. The fire was so severe that we turned away. What happened on the spot was not known. Hundreds of birds are lying burnt within a radius of about 400 meters from the accident site. 

The accident could turn into a massive one as there is a crude oil pipeline, a school, and one petrol pump near the accident site, but fortunately all are safe. 

After the incident, police rushed the injured people to Jaipur's Sawai Man Singh Hospital for treatment in more than 25 ambulances.

Dr. Deepak Maheshwari, Principal of SMS medical college said, “11 people have died. Five were brought dead to SMS hospital. Five succumbed during treatment. One death was reported from Jaipuria hospital. Seven people are on ventilator support,"

Officials at the spot indicated that the casualty count may go up. Police suspect some people could not get out of their vehicles in time and got burnt.

The crash affected a nearly 300-metre stretch of the highway, leading to a long queue of vehicles, as Jaipur - Ajmer highway is the busiest road connecting many big cities. The traffic congestion grew rapidly with time and by the afternoon, choked the arterial road and traffic had to be diverted to alternative routes. It took more than 12 hours to clear the highway for traffic. 

37 vehicles were damaged in the incident. The vehicles included several trailers, trucks and containers, 2 buses, as many pickups and bikes, one auto rickshaw and 7 cars.  

The Rajasthan government announced financial assistance of Rs 5 lakh to the next of kin of the deceased and Rs 1 lakh for the injured.

President Droupadi Murmu, Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Union Home Minister Amit Shah, Rajasthan Governor Haribhau Bagade, Chief Minister Bhajanlal Sharma and his predecessor Ashok Gehlot expressed grief over the loss of lives in the crash.

In a post on X, Modi announced an ex gratia of Rs 2 lakh from the Prime Minister's National Relief Fund to the next of kin of the deceased and Rs 50,000 to the injured.

Modi also spoke to Chief Minister Bhajan Lal Sharma to enquire about the incident and assured him of all possible support.

 Chief Minister Bhajan Lal Sharma and Health minister Gajendra Singh Khimsar rushed to the SMS hospital after getting the news of the accident. 

Sharma spoke to administration officials and doctors and issued directions to ensure proper treatment was facilitated. He also visited the accident site and spoke to police officials.

The Jaipur Police has issued the helpline numbers 9166347551, 8764688431 and 7300363636 for people to get in touch for inquiries or relevant information.