GUWAHATI: A collision involving a gas tanker and multiple vehicles turned a stretch of Rajasthan’s Jaipur-Ajmer highway into an inferno on Friday morning, December 20. The situation claimed at least seven lives and injured more than 35 people.
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Additionally, over 30 vehicles caught fire, with thick black smoke billowing into the sky, visible from nearly a kilometre away.
Eyewitnesses described the scene as chaotic and terrifying. According to reports, a school van driver recounted the horrifying sight of a man engulfed in flames while fire brigade vehicles and ambulances struggled to navigate through the crash zone. More than 25 ambulances were deployed to transfer the victims.
Police reportedly expressed concerns that some victims may have been unable to escape their vehicles and perished inside, while a thorough inspection of all affected vehicles is undergoing at the moment to ascertain the exact casualties.
Efforts are also being made to clear the burnt vehicles to restore traffic on the affected stretch, which spans nearly 300 metres. Officials revealed that the fire had spread to nearby establishments along the highway, though the extent of property damage remains unclear.
Rajasthan Chief Minister Bhajanlal Sharma and Health Minister Gajendra Singh Khimsar visited SMS Hospital, where the injured were admitted. Sharma expressed his condolences on X, stating, "Deeply saddened to hear the news of casualties in the gas tanker fire incident on the Jaipur-Ajmer National Highway. Necessary steps are being taken to provide medical aid to the injured and support to their families."
Khimsar, meanwhile, informed reporters that nearly half of the injured were in critical condition. He added that additional hospital wards were opened to accommodate patients and a 'green corridor' was established to facilitate swift transportation of victims from the accident site
Initial reports from the Rajasthan Health Department confirmed the death toll and injuries.
