Update (03.12pm): Speaking to Mangalorean.com, Dr (Col) M Dayananda, Medical Superintendent of Kasturba Hospital Manipal, said that in the tragic incident which occurred near Kumta, a bullet tanker loaded with liquefied petroleum gas toppled on the main road and exploded. The accident occurred when the driver of the gas tanker lost control while overtaking a vehicle near Bargi. The gas from the tanker leaked and caught fire.
The injured patients were rushed to Kasturba Hospital Manipal, which has Burns ICU facility in 8 of its ambulances. All of the 14 injured have been admitted to Kastruba Hospital Manipal.
Among the admitted are 7 men, 5 women, one 3 year old boy and one 4 year old girl. One patient Nagaveni (aged 84) died while the condition of 8 other patients is said to be critical. The tanker driver (aged 22), who suffered a leg fracture as a result of the fall is also one of the patients at the hospital, he said.
Udupi MLA Pramod Madhwaraj visited the hospital and discussed the condition of the patients with the hospital authorities.
On behalf of Uttara Kannada district administration, Assistant Commissioner of Bhatkal Chidanand Votare personally visited the hospital and took details of the patients.
Uttara Kannada district minister in-charge and Higher Education minister R V Deshpande said that the expenses to treat the injured who have been admitted in Manipal and other hospitals will be borne by the government.
Speaking to our correspondent over the phone, Uttara Kannada Additional SP Devraj said that the tanker going from Mangaluru to Belagavi toppled after its tyre burst. This happened on Tuesday morning, September 1 around 5:30 am.
14 people were shifted to Manipal while others have been admitted in Kumta government hospital. The condition of six persons including 2 children is said to be serious.
An area with a radius of half a kilometre around the ill-fated tanker was engulfed in huge flames coupled with unbearable heat. The police evacuated the houses located within a radius of one km. More than nine houses located by the roadside caught fire.
Many animals were also injured due to the impact of the explosion while many vehicles were also burnt, he added.
Update (12.10pm): In the incident, one woman has died and 14 others were injured. The identity of the deceased is yet to be ascertained. Out of the 14 injured, 6 are critical condition, including 2 children.
Kumta: Gas tanker Catches Fire, Several Injured in Bargi
Kumta: Around 10 to 15 persons were injured when a bullet tanker carrying Liquefied Petroleum Gas (LPG) overturned and the gas leakage fueled an inferno engulfing the vehicle and neighbouring buildings on NH 66 at Bargi near Kumta Taluk, at around 5:30 am, here on September 1.
According to the primary report, 10 people have been injured. Four of them have suffered serious burns. At least 4-5 houses were destroyed. The injured persons were rushed to Kumta and Manipal hospitals.
The accident occurred when the driver of the Gas tanker lost control while overtaking a vehicle near Bargi. The gas from the tanker leaked and caught fire.
Fire tenders from Kumta, Ankola, Bhatkal, Kundapur and Udupi rushed to the spot. The Kumta police also arrived at the spot.
Please ban Gas tankers from passing through populated zones. I shudder to think what will happen if such a incident happens inside a populated zone such as nanthoor-bikarnkatte or surathkal or B.C road.