In a shocking case, 18 people including 3 fire service personnel were injured in Medipally village after a petrol tanker exploded on Friday night. The petrol tanker was nearly 12,000 liters of petrol when it exploded. The police reported that two people from the accident were critical.
The area in Medipally was engulfed with a thick smoke after the massive explosion. As soon as the news hit, fire brigades and rescue teams rushed to the spot and then the police followed. It has been reported that the explosion happened after an attempt to steal petrol from the tanker. The tanker was first shifted to a plot near Chengicherla Crossroads where the explosion happened.
The Police explained the explosion happened at around 2 P.M., on Friday. They further stated the explosion occurred after people involved in the illegal diversion of petrol were sealing the tanker by wielding. These people allegedly transferred the petrol into small drums and while wielding the tanker shut the explosion occurred.
DCP at Malkajgiri Ch. R. Umamaheswara Sarma said, “The lorry tanker belongs to a private petroleum company and it was diverted from a nearby refilling plant.” The police have identified the main accused as Raju. Raju owns the plot where the explosion happened and was also the driver and cleaner of the lorry tanker. The police reported Raju has absconded and the authorities are working towards tracking him.
Inspector Sarma explained the people injured in the explosion were passing through the area. All the injured were immediately rushed to Gandhi Hospital for treatment. The police said a TSRTC employee Venkatesh Govind Naik and a resident of Chengicherla Gopala Chary sustained 85% and 40% burns respectively. The hospital has said their condition is critical.
According to the police, five motorcycles of civilians passing through the area were burnt in the accident. The police also reported they switched off the power supply in that area as a safety measure.
Mr. Sarma said, “Under the impact of the explosion, another empty tanker also caught fire and went up in flames as a result of which three fire service personnel suffered injuries.” He further added that the flames from the explosion rose up to 30 meters and people were forced to take diversions from the accident spot.
Petrol tank blast at Cherlapally, Hyderabad.~Sources. @WeAreHyderabad @HydTimes #Hyderabad pic.twitter.com/2IqCkS09uy
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