National

The death toll from the explosion following a collision between a truck and an LPG tanker on the Jaipur highway rose to 14 on Saturday after two injured victims succumbed overnight.

Officials reported 30 people were injured in the incident, including 20 passengers from a sleeper bus caught in the blast. 

The fire, which took over seven hours to extinguish, caused extensive damage to multiple vehicles.

Country's first Chief of Defence Staff Gen Bipin Rawat died in a Mi-17 V5 helicopter crash on December 8, 2021, and a parliamentary panel report has said the reason behind the accident which occurred that day was "human error".

Gen Rawat, his wife Madhulika Rawat, and many other armed forces personnel had died after the military helicopter they were travelling in crashed near Coonoor in Tamil Nadu.

In the report tabled in Parliament, the Standing Committee on Defence shared the data on the number of Indian Air Force aircraft crashes that took place during the 13th Defence Plan period. The total number of crashes stood at 34, including nine IAF aircraft accidents that took place in 2021-22 and 11 in 2018-19.

The tabulated data in the report also contained a column titled "reason" that specified the cause of the accidents in this period, against the aircraft type and date and accident.

The data for the 33rd accident listed in the report mentioned the aircraft as "Mi-17", date "08.12.2021" and the reason cited was "HE(A)" or "human error (aircrew)". The defence ministry informed the Committee that 34 inquiries have been conducted into these accidents during the period.

A deadly collision involving an LPG tanker and multiple vehicles turned a stretch of the Jaipur-Ajmer highway into an inferno on Friday morning, killing five people, injuring 37 and engulfing over 30 vehicles in flames as thick black smoke filled the sky.

Eyewitnesses reported spotting the flames from over a kilometre away and ambulances and fire brigade teams rushed towards the crash zone as panic and chaos set in. A school van driver on his way to pick up students recounted with horror the sight of a man engulfed in flames. Rajasthan Chief Minister Bhajanlal Sharma rushed to the SMS Hospital, where the injured were admitted, spoke to administration officials and doctors and issued directions to ensure proper treatment was facilitated.

He also visited the accident site and spoke to police officials. The station house officer of Bhankrota Manish Gupta said it was difficult to bring the fire under control initially.

 "Fire brigade teams initially were unable to reach the vehicles that were burning. There are three petrol pumps in the area but fortunately, they are safe," he added. More than 25 ambulances shifted the victims to the hospital. A nearly 300-metre busy stretch of the highway was affected by the accident, leading to a long queue of vehicles.

Police officials said the fire engulfed some establishments along the highway as well and details of the actual losses were not yet clear.

The school van driver told PTI that the flames were visible from a kilometre away and there was panic and chaos on the highway.

"As I got closer to the spot, I saw people running in haste and shouting for help. I saw a man engulfed in flames. It was a frightening scene. Fire brigades and ambulances were there but it was difficult for them to reach the spot initially," he said.