Toll climbs to 15 as two more succumb

Jaiveer, 40, who was driving the LPG tanker that was hit by a truck on December 20 leading to explosion in the tanker killing 15 people so far and leaving over 40 with burn injuries, had fled from the spot immediately after the accident, a police officer aware of the investigation said, adding that he was brought by the police from UP on Monday.

- Senjuti Sengupta

JAIPUR: Jaiveer, 40, who was driving the LPG tanker that was hit by a truck on December 20, leading to an explosion in the tanker, killing 15 people so far and leaving over 40 with burn injuries, had fled from the spot immediately after the accident, a police officer aware of the investigation said, adding that he was brought by the police from UP on Monday.

Police said that his questioning has revealed how the accident happened.

An officer aware of the investigation said he gave "fear of being caught" as a reason for fleeing after the accident.

"The driver jumped off the tanker and started running towards Jaipur and was out of the danger zone before the fire started," said a senior police officer, who has questioned him. What saved him was the wind direction as the LPG that leaked was flowing towards the Ajmer side and he ran in the opposite direction.

"He was saved by a whisker. Seeing the fire, he fled to his native place in Mathura," the officer said.

Jaiveer (who goes by a single name) was driving a tanker filled with LPG from Mundra port in Gujarat and was heading towards Saleempur in Uttar Pradesh. From the Ajmer-Jaipur highway, he intended to take the Jaipur ring road and took a U-turn to reach the opposite carriageway when a truck hit the tanker from behind. Jaiveer learnt about the intensity of the accident only when he reached his home in Mathura on Friday night through news, officers said.

The police learnt that he was alive when they contacted the tanker owner, Anil Panwar, on Sunday. "He reached the police station yesterday after he was contacted by police and Panwar and presented himself for questioning," said Amit Budaniya, the DCP (Jaipur West) who is also heading the Special Investigation Team of the Jaipur police.