Hoshiarpur Tanker Blast: At least two people died while over 50 sustained burn injuries after an LPG tanker collided with another vehicle on the Hoshiarpur-Jalandhar National Highway, which resulted in a massive explosion. The incident took place near the Madiala Adda area in Hohiarpur at around 10:45 pm.

According to officials, the fire, which broke out after the collision and subsequent leakage of the LPG, engulfed over 15 shops and four to five residential houses in the nearby area. It trapped villagers, many of whom were already asleep, leaving them little time to escape. Villagers rushed to save their lives as flames spread rapidly, fuelled by LPG and strong winds.

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The injured were rushed to the Hoshiarpur Civil Hospital, where two persons were declared brought dead. Civil Surgeon at the hospital, Pawan Kumar, said that around 5-7 people have sustained serious burn injuries and have been referred to another medical institute.

Meanwhile, the police have put up barricades on the Hoshiarpur-Jalandhar National Highway, and vehicular movement has been restricted. According to Deputy Commissioner Ashika Jain, fire tenders and ambulances were immediately mobilised to the spot, and the fire has largely been brought under control.

"A detailed assessment of the cause of the accident and the extent of damage will be made once the situation is fully stabilised," she said, as quoted by PTI.

What did the eyewitness say?

According to a report by Jagran.com, an eyewitness living in the area, Gurmukh Singh, who also sustained burns in the explosion along with his family members, said that this accident happened when the LPG tanker overturned after colliding with a Mahindra pickup vehicle. 

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"Before people could understand anything, gas started leaking from the gas tanker and it exploded with such a loud blast that it felt like a bomb had gone off," Singh said.

Punjab Parliamentary Affairs Minister Dr Ravjot Singh visited the accident site and the hospital, assuring all possible assistance to the affected families.