NEW DELHI: A major fire broke out on the Jaipur-Ajmer highway late Tuesday night after a truck carrying LPG cylinders collided with another vehicle near the Dudu area, officials said. The impact of the crash triggered multiple explosions as gas cylinders began to burst, sending flames and shockwaves across the stretch. The blaze and loud explosions were visible and audible from several kilometres away, according to news agency PTI.Police personnel and fire brigades rushed to the scene, halting traffic on both sides of the busy highway.Rescue and firefighting operations continued late into the night as teams worked to bring the situation under control.Rajasthan chief minister Bhajanlal Sharma directed deputy chief minister Dr Prem Chand Bairwa and MLA Kailash Verma to visit the site and assess the situation.In a post on X, he wrote, “The accident of a fire breaking out in a truck loaded with gas cylinders on the Jaipur–Ajmer National Highway in the Mauzamabad police station area of Jaipur Rural is extremely tragic. Fire brigade and disaster management teams are engaged in relief and rescue operations at the incident site.”“Instructions have been given to the district administration to ensure proper treatment for the injured and to provide all possible assistance to those affected. I pray to God for the safety and well-being of all citizens affected by this heart-wrenching incident”, he further added. Jaipur district collector and other senior officials also headed to the location, PTI reported.Dr Bairwa, in a post on X, confirmed that relief and rescue efforts were underway near Sawarda culvert in the Mojmabad area. “Police, administration, and fire department teams are engaged in relief and rescue operations, and efforts to control the fire are ongoing,” he wrote.Speaking to news agency ANI en route to the accident site, Dr Bairwa said that preliminary reports suggested the truck carrying gas cylinders was struck from behind by another vehicle. “This is what caused the accident. The fire has been brought under control. According to the administration’s report, there have been no casualties. Ambulance is at the spot,” he said.Speaking to ANI later, Dr Bairwa confirmed that the situation was under control and said both the driver and conductor in the tanker have been sent to the hospital. “No other details or casualties have been reported. The fire has been brought under control. The administration is working diligently,” he said.Considering the situation, the SMS hospital administration was alerted, and arrangements have been made to deal with any emergency situation.Speaking on the likely cause of the accident, Jaipur Range IG Rahul Prakash said, “There’s a dhaba on the national highway where truck drivers stop. Some trucks and trailers were parked there. From what we’ve seen and the information we’ve received, a truck carrying LPG cylinders was parked on the side of the road. A tanker, which, according to our current information, was loaded with chemicals, hit this truck from behind.“In December last year, a similar tragedy occurred on the same Jaipur-Ajmer highway when an LPG tanker collided with a truck near Bhankrota, sparking a massive fire that killed 19 people and turned a stretch of the road into an inferno.
