Early Monday morning, a major explosion rocked a highway in Gujarat after a gas-carrying tanker overturned and caught fire. The incident led to significant property damage and disrupted traffic for several hours.
Chaotic Scenes After Sudden Blast
The accident occurred in the early hours of Monday, around 5 am, on the busy Gandhidham-Morbi highway. The location was near the Karni Kripa Hotel, situated between Samakhiyali and Maliya. According to police inspector V K Gadhvi of the Samakhiali police station, the tanker was transporting gas from Deendayal Port in Kandla to Morbi.
The preliminary investigation suggests the driver braked suddenly for an unknown reason, lost control of the vehicle, and caused it to overturn. This led to a gas leak from the tanker. Fearing for their lives, the driver and his assistant immediately jumped out of the vehicle and fled the scene.
Vehicles Gutted, Firefighters Battle Blaze
The site of the accident was adjacent to a highway hotel, and its parking area had several vehicles parked. Soon after the leak, the tanker caught fire and exploded with a blast that was heard several kilometres away. The intense fire charred six vehicles that were parked in the hotel's lot.
Firefighting teams from Gandhidham, Samakhiyali, and Morbi rushed to the spot to control the raging flames. It took firefighters approximately three hours to completely douse the fire. Fortunately, there were no human casualties reported from the incident.
Massive Traffic Disruption and Police Action
The explosion and subsequent firefighting operation caused severe disruption on the vital highway. A massive traffic jam built up on both sides of the road. Traffic coming from Morbi and Maliya was halted near Surajbari.
Police personnel worked for about five hours to clear the congestion. Sources indicated that roads were closed until around 8 am, and normal traffic flow was restored only after 10 am. In the aftermath, police have initiated procedures to register an offence against the tanker driver for alleged negligence and endangering public life.
