At least four people have lost their lives and two others remain under treatment after an LPG tanker burst into flames near the Sihori Toll Plaza in Uttar Pradesh's Kaushambi district. The devastating incident occurred on the morning of June 26 under the Kokhraj police station limits and was captured on CCTV cameras installed near the toll plaza.
The footage shows the tanker speeding towards the toll plaza before crashing into a road divider. Moments later, a large fire engulfs the vehicle and surrounding area, leaving little time for those nearby to escape.
Gas leak followed by explosion-like fire
According to police, the LPG tanker was travelling from Kanpur to Varanasi when the driver allegedly lost control of the vehicle. The impact with the divider reportedly caused a gas leak, which spread quickly before igniting into a massive blaze.
Liquefied Petroleum Gas (LPG) is highly flammable, and once released into the air, it can ignite rapidly if it comes into contact with a spark or heat source, making such accidents particularly dangerous.
Driver dies after getting trapped inside cabin
The tanker driver, identified as Dharmendra Dwivedi, a resident of Mirzapur district in Uttar Pradesh, was trapped inside the vehicle after the crash. He was unable to escape as flames engulfed the cabin and died at the scene.
The intense fire also spread to the nearby toll plaza, leaving several employees with severe burn injuries.
Toll plaza staff among the victims
Five toll plaza employees suffered critical burns and were admitted to Swaroop Rani Nehru (SRN) Hospital in Prayagraj for treatment.
One of the injured workers, Alok Singh, succumbed to his injuries a day after the incident. On Thursday, two more victims, Hiramani Singh from Raebareli and Krishnapal Maurya from Lalitpur, also died during treatment, raising the death toll to four.
Two other injured toll employees continue to receive medical care at the hospital.
Police continue investigation
According to reports, Kokhraj Station House Officer Chandra Bhushan Maurya said, "Two more injured victims have died during treatment. Four people have died in the incident so far, while two others are still undergoing treatment. Further necessary legal action is being taken."
Police have sent the bodies for postmortem examination and are continuing their investigation to determine the exact circumstances that led to the crash and subsequent fire. Authorities are also examining the CCTV footage and other evidence as part of the probe.
