- Five people were killed and several others injured after an LPG tanker exploded in UP
- The tanker exploded after it lost control and crashed into a toll plaza in Kaushambi
- Gas leakage from the tanker caused a massive explosion and thick smoke engulfed the area
Five people were killed and several others injured after a tanker carrying liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) exploded after crashing into a toll booth in Uttar Pradesh's Kaushambi. The accident took place around 6:40 AM on June 26, and the CCTV footage of the crash surfaced this morning.
The 24-second video shows two tankers approaching the toll booth when one of them suddenly loses control, hits a divider and crashes into the toll plaza. Gas then leaked from the crashed tanker, which was going to Pratapgarh from Kanpur, triggering a massive explosion.
The flames were reportedly so intense that they were visible from about two kilometres away.
A police officer said that all fire brigade units in the district, along with civil police personnel, were deployed to control the blaze.
The driver, identified as 40-year-old Dharmendra Dubey, and a toll plaza employee, Alok Singh, were killed on the spot.
Several other toll plaza employees were also seriously injured and rushed to the hospital. One of them, Anil Kumar from Uttar Pradesh's Prayagraj, died during the treatment on July 1. His co-workers -- Hiramani Singh from Uttar Pradesh's Raebareli and Krishna Pal Maurya from Madhya Pradesh -- died a day later.
Sixteen motorcycles and two cars parked near the toll plaza also caught fire and were completely destroyed.
Vehicles were briefly allowed to pass through the toll plaza without charge to prevent traffic congestion.
A technical team has been formed to investigate the accident.
