Oil tanker catches fire near Ludhiana; driver, cleaner have narrow escape

Ludhiana: An oil tanker caught fire after an accident on the national highway in Khanna, about 50 km from here, on Wednesday, police said.

The truck was completely damaged in the accident but the driver and cleaner had a narrow escape, they said.

Khanna Deputy Superintendent of Police Rajesh Sharma said the oil tanker was going to a filling station at Mandi Gobindgarh from Jalandhar.

When it reached the Khanna bus stand flyover, its tyre burst and the driver lost control of the vehicle. The tanker then hit the divider flipped to the side and caught fire, the officer said.

The flames and thick black smoke could be seen from a considerable distance from the accident spot, the DSP added.

He said that the driver and the cleaner had a narrow escape and none of them had any major injury.

Fire tenders were rushed to the spot, which brought the flames under control, Sharma said, adding that the traffic on the road stretch was suspended to ascertain the damage to the flyover.

National Highways Authority of India officials have been informed about the incident, he said.

Notably, the movement of several oil tankers was seen on several roads in Punjab on Wednesday as the situation was normalising at petrol pumps where fuel supplies were being replenished with fresh stocks, a day after people resorted to panic buying amid truckers' strike.