Nashik, Sept 6 : Four people lost their lives and 15 others were injured when an LPG tanker exploded before plunging into a river near Pimpalner town on the outskirts of Dhule on Monday night.
The mishap occurred at around 9 pm when the tanker hit an electric pole on a bridge, skidded and exploded before falling into Panzara River in Dhule district. The fire was doused at around 2 am.
Several vehicles including 2 cars, four auto-rickshaws, one truck and two motorcycles, besides several shops caught fire following the explosion. The injured are being treated in hospitals.
"Efforts are under way to shift metal cutters and retrieve the tanker from the river," Dhule District Collector Prakash Mahajan told reporters.
The tanker was carrying a consignment of liquefied petroleum gas from Gujarat to Nashik when it hit an electric pole on the bridge over Panzara river, skidded and burst into flames. It later plunged into the river.
According to local police, since several people are reportedly missing and believed to have been washed away in the river water, the death toll could go up.
Efforts are on to ascertain the identity of the victims and trace out others who may have been trapped under the wreckage, said police.
Villagers who provided the first relief stoned the authorities' vehicles for over an hour's delay in reaching the scene of the accident.
