03.07.2026 16:20
A tanker accident in Uttar Pradesh, India, resulted in an LPG-loaded vehicle hitting concrete barriers, killing 5 people.
Another tanker accident has been added to the thousands of lives lost worldwide each year. A horrific traffic accident in the northern Indian state of Uttar Pradesh turned into a major disaster in seconds.
An LPG tanker, which departed from Kanpur and was heading towards Pratapgarh, went out of control at the Sihori toll plaza and crashed into concrete barriers.
The gas that spread into the surrounding area due to the impact quickly turned the entire region into an inferno. In those terrifying moments captured by security cameras, the flames that rose with the explosion were seen to have become a grave for 5 people. (H2)
The accident occurred around 06:40 local time.
According to eyewitness statements and CCTV footage recording the scene, the tanker, whose driver lost control on the rain-slickened road, crashed into the concrete barriers at the toll plaza with a loud noise.
Immediately after the crash, a dense, white gas cloud, reaching approximately 12 meters (40 feet) in height due to a leak in the tanker, covered the entire toll plaza.
The personnel on duty at the toll booths and nearby drivers began to flee in panic to escape the deadly gas cloud coming towards them.
But there was little time to escape. The leaking gas ignited the moment it came into contact with a generator operating near the toll booth building.
With the gas meeting the generator, a massive fireball reaching about 9 meters (30 feet) in height rose into the sky.
The fire instantly engulfed not only the tanker involved in the accident but also other vehicles parked in the toll plaza and the facility buildings. Toll booth attendant Sanjay Nirmal, an eyewitness at the scene, recounted the horror in these words:
"Due to light rain, the vehicle suddenly lost control. The entire vehicle crashed into the barriers with a loud noise and overturned.
The fire from the gas leak spread to the area adjacent to the toll plaza and the toilet blocks. Our chief Alok Pandey, who was in the toilet at the time, was caught in the flames and seriously injured."
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Firefighters who quickly arrived at the scene made intense efforts to prevent the chemical fire from growing. The fire was brought under control after about 30 minutes of difficult intervention, but the toll was quite heavy.
The 40-year-old tanker driver Dharmendra Dubey, who caused the accident, and toll booth attendant Alok Singh died horribly at the scene.
Other toll employees, 29-year-old Hiramani Singh, 23-year-old Krishnapal Maurya, and Anil Kumar, who suffered severe burns on their bodies and were hospitalized, lost their fight for life the following day despite all the doctors' interventions.
It was reported that one person injured in the accident continues treatment at a hospital in Prayagraj and remains in critical condition.
The extent of the fire became clearer through damage assessment studies. 16 motorcycles and 2 cars belonging to workers and visitors parked in the toll plaza were completely burned and rendered unusable.
The regional police department announced that a large-scale investigation has been launched regarding the accident and that the recovered CCTV footage will be the most important part of the forensic examination.