An explosion involving an HP Petroleum LPG tanker on the Jalandhar-Hoshiarpur road near Mandiala village late on Friday night claimed the lives of three people and left 21 others injured.
The blast took place when the tanker, while taking a wrong turn, collided with a pickup vehicle loaded with vegetables, damaging nearby buildings as well.
The injured were rushed to Hoshiarpur Civil Hospital. Critical cases have been referred to other health facilities. A specialised team of doctors from Amritsar Medical College has been deployed to assist doctors at the civil hospital.
The blaze caused by the explosion spread rapidly, engulfing about 15 shops and five houses in the vicinity. One of the victims said he and his mother suffered burn injuries when the fire reached their house. He said their neighbours had to take them to hospital as the ambulance service helpline was unreachable. “First we thought it was a cylinder blast. But when we looked out, we saw fire all around. My brother was lucky to escape with minor injuries,” he said.
Cabinet Minister Dr Ravjot Singh, MLA Bram Shankar Jimpa, Deputy Commissioner Aashika Jain and SSP Sandeep Kumar Malik also visited the site to assess the situation and oversee rescue operations. While the State Disaster Response Force (SDRF) was immediately pressed into service, ambulances and fire tenders were mobilised from Hoshiarpur, Jalandhar, Kapurthala, Phagwara and the Adampur Air Force Station.
A case has been registered against the tanker driver under Sections 105 and 324(4) of the Bharatiya Nyaay Samhita and a thorough investigation is underway.
Civil Surgeon Dr Pawan Kumar and SMO Dr Kuldeep Singh confirmed that 23 patients were brought to Hoshiarpur Civil Hospital. While one of them was declared dead on arrival, another died on the way to a private hospital, they said. Fourteen victims have been referred to other hospitals and two have been discharged.
Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann announced a financial assistance of Rs 2 lakh for the families of the deceased. All the injured have been extended free treatment under the state government’s Farishte Scheme.
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