Jaipur-Ajmer Highway LPG Tanker Fire Incident

It was still dark on the Jaipur-Ajmer highway on 20 December 2024. Trucks, a sleeper bus and early commuters were moving past the highway cut near DPS at Bhankrota. Within minutes, a leak from one LPG tanker turned a stretch of NH48 into a wall of fire. Twenty people died.

What happened

At around 5:30 AM, an LPG tanker was taking a U-turn at the highway cut near DPS at Bhankrota. A container truck heading towards Ajmer hit it. According to the accident record of the Petroleum and Explosives Safety Organisation (PESO), the impact sheared all three bottom pipes leading to the tanker’s manifold and damaged its outlet nozzle.

LPG poured out, spread as a heavy vapour cloud along the road and caught fire. A vapour cloud explosion followed, and about 40 vehicles burned, including a sleeper bus. People in the vehicles nearest the cloud had almost no time to get out.

The human cost

• 20 people died, including Rajasthan Police constable Anita Meena. Fourteen had died by 21 December. The others died of their burns in hospital over the following week, and the toll reached 20 on 28 December 2024.
• 24 people were injured, according to PESO’s final record. On 21 December, Akashvani reported 27 people under treatment at SMS Hospital, Jaipur, six of them on ventilators.
• About 40 vehicles were destroyed.

Behind each number is a family. Some relatives, including constable Anita Meena’s husband, had to identify their loved ones from belongings because the burns were so severe.

How it unfolded

1. The LPG tanker began a U-turn at the highway cut near DPS.
2. A container truck travelling towards Ajmer struck it.
3. The collision sheared the three bottom pipes (inlet and outlet lines) and damaged the outlet nozzle, so LPG escaped at a high rate.
4. The gas cloud found an ignition source, and fire and a vapour cloud explosion spread across the carriageway.
5. Vehicles caught in the cloud, including a sleeper bus, burned before people could escape.

Why it became so deadly

The road

The Rajasthan High Court took up the fire on its own the next day. Its order of 21 December 2024 described the U-turn near DPS as a “black spot”, noted that bridge and flyover work on the stretch had been moving very slowly for years, and asked the government why black spots and dangerous U-turns should not be identified and fixed, and why vehicles carrying hazardous goods should not get separate routes.

A highway cut that lets a loaded gas tanker turn across fast traffic in the dark is a serious risk on any road, and more so on a stretch under construction.

The tanker

LPG tankers carry their bottom fittings close to the road. In a side impact, those pipes are exposed. Once all three sheared, there was nothing to stop the flow.

The driver’s response

Media reports said the tanker driver left the scene. A trained hazardous-goods driver should know how to raise the alarm, warn traffic and keep people away, but in a release this large the first job for everyone, including the driver, is to get away from the gas.

The emergency response

Fire brigades and ambulances had to reach the site through stalled traffic and construction. The government formed a six-member committee to look into the causes and fix responsibility. We have not seen its final report.

Lessons for India’s highways

• Close dangerous U-turns for heavy vehicles, and fix known black spots with proper lighting, reflective markings and warning signs.
• Finish pending highway works on time, and manage traffic safely while they go on.
• Plan routes and timings for hazardous-goods vehicles, away from crowded stretches wherever possible.
• Inspect tankers regularly, including the protection of bottom fittings and the fitness certificate.
• Train hazardous-goods drivers in what to do after a crash or leak: warn others, keep people back, call 112 and tell responders what the load is.
• Teach the public what an LPG leak looks and smells like, and why you run from it, not towards it.

If you see a gas tanker crash or leak on the road

• Do not drive into a white cloud, mist or a strong gas smell. Stop well back.
• If you are close, switch off your engine, leave the vehicle and walk away fast, upwind and uphill if you can.
• Warn others to keep back. Do not smoke, light anything or try to film from nearby.
• Call 112 from a safe distance and say clearly that a gas tanker is leaking.
• Do not go back for your vehicle or belongings until the police or fire brigade say it is safe.

Next time you travel by highway at night, notice where heavy vehicles cross or turn. If you know a dangerous cut on your route, report it to the district administration or the NHAI helpline 1033. One complaint may close one black spot.

More on Jaipur: see our Jaipur fire and emergency safety guide for fire brigade numbers, every fire station and the local risks to know.