JAIPUR: Five people were charred to death when a truck carrying cattle smashed into two stationary trucks on the Jaipur-Ajmer national highway, leading to a devastating explosion in the Dudu district early Wednesday.
The cattle, too, perished in the fire. The accident took place around 5.30am. Three of the victims belonged to Hisar in Haryana while two others were from Bihar, DSP (Dudu) Zulfiqar Ali said.
Twelve fire tenders were summoned from Kishangarh, Bagru, and Sambhar to control the blaze, Jaipur (rural) SP Rajeev Pachar said, adding that the bodies were burnt beyond recognition.
Forensic experts collected samples from the spot. It took several hours to tackle the flames, which could be brought under control only around 3pm, said an official. Early Wednesday, two trucks had just pulled over near an eatery on Ramnagar Modh on the highway.
Diesel tank of truck was overflowingOne of them was laden with plastic materials while the other carried rice. The drivers stepped out to drink tea at the eatery. A few minutes later, a truck ferrying buffaloes to Ajmer lost control on the highway, spun around, veered off the track and crashed into the parked trucks.
Even before the cattle truck's driver, helper, and others could leap out, the vehicle burst into flames. "The diesel tank of the truck carrying cattle was overflowing and exploded almost immediately after the crash. Flames also engulfed the other two trucks. The cattle in the truck died in the fire," said an official from Dudu police station.
As the fire raged on, panic and chaos prevailed in the area for several hours with other truck drivers rushing to move their vehicles away from the eatery. Police initially believed only the driver and helper had died in the blaze.
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