LPG tanker driver involved in highway blast detained in UP

The driver of the LPG tanker involved in last week's catastrophic explosion on the Jaipur-Ajmer highway that killed 13 people, was detained from Uttar Pradesh on Monday, officials said, contradicting earlier assumptions that he died in the inferno.

- Senjuti Sengupta

JAIPUR: The driver of the LPG tanker involved in last week's catastrophic explosion on the Jaipur-Ajmer highway that killed 13 people, was detained from Uttar Pradesh on Monday, officials said, contradicting earlier assumptions that he died in the inferno.

Investigators identified the driver as Jaiveer, from Uttar Pradesh, after contacting the tanker's Delhi-based owner. "The owner confirmed that the trailer driver is alive and he had also contacted him soon after the accident while he was fleeing the spot," said a senior officer on the Special Investigation Team (SIT), speaking on condition of anonymity.

The revelation has added a new dimension to the tragedy. Officials said the LPG tanker was en route to Uttar Pradesh from Gujarat's Mundra port when it took a U-turn near Delhi Public School at 5:25 a.m. on Friday. A truck collided as the tanker took the U-turn, triggering a gas leak that erupted in a massive fireball that engulfed 34 vehicles, including two passenger buses.

At least 23 people are still battling for their life with severe burns, with three on ventilation and condition of six others is critical, officials said.