An LPG tanker collided with a truck on Friday, sparking a massive fireball that turned a stretch of the Jaipur-Ajmer highway into an inferno in which 11 people were killed and 37 vehicles engulfed in flames.
The state health minister Gajendra Singh Khimsar said that nearly half of the injured were "very critical."
"A total of 11 people have died. Five were brought dead to SMS hospital. Five succumbed during treatment. One death was reported from Jaipuria hospital," Dr Deepak Maheshwari, Principal, SMS Medical College, said.
Jaipur Police Commissioner Biju George Joseph, who was at the crash site, said an outlet nozzle of the LPG tanker was damaged in the collision, leading to a gas leak that caused the blaze.
The crash occurred around 5.30 am, when it was still dark, in front of a school, according to authorities.
"Vehicles behind the tanker were engulfed in flames. Other vehicles coming from the opposite directions also caught fire and the vehicles collided," Joseph said.
The gas leak spread the fire in a flash, leaving no scope for those in nearby vehicles to come out. People were seen rushing and taking off clothes engulfed in flames.
The injured were rushed to the SMS hospital in Jaipur in more than 25 ambulances.
Forty-three people were brought to the hospital, seven of whom are on ventilator support, Dr Maheshwawri said.
Officials at the spot indicated that the casualty count may go up.
The Rajasthan government announced an assistance of Rs 5 lakh to the next of kin of the deceased and Rs 1 lakh for the injured.
President Droupadi Murmu, Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Union Home Minister Amit Shah, Rajasthan Governor Haribhau Bagade, Chief Minister Bhajanlal Sharma and his predecessor Ashok Gehlot expressed grief over the deaths.
In a post on X, Modi announced an ex gratia of Rs 2 lakh from the Prime Minister's National Relief Fund to the next of kin of the deceased and Rs 50,000 to the injured.
Modi also spoke to CM Sharma to enquire about the incident and assured him of all possible support.
Earlier in the day, people reported witnessing flames from nearly a kilometre away as thick black smoke filled the sky and ambulances and fire brigade vehicles rushed towards the crash zone. A school van driver on his way to pick students recounted with horror the sight of a man engulfed in flames on the road.
The crash initially affected a nearly 300-metre stretch of the highway, leading to a long queue of vehicles. The traffic thickened with time and by afternoon choked the arterial road, leading to diversions.
Authorities were clearing the highway of the burnt vehicles to resume vehicular movement.
Thirty-seven vehicles, including several tailers, trucks and containers, two buses, as many pickups and bikes, one auto rickshaws and seven cars, were damaged in fire.
In the wake of the incident, Sharma along with Khimsar, rushed to SMS hospital.
Sharma also visited the accident site and spoke to police.
"I visited the hospital as soon as I got the incident. This is a very unfortunate incident. Instructions have been given to ensure proper treatment and other arrangements," he told reporters at the crash site.
Khimsar told reporters at the hospital that all doctors, resident doctors, and nursing staff had been called in to manage the situation and another ward opened to accommodate patients.
A 'green corridor' was set up from the accident site to the SMS hospital, he added.
An official said a private sleeper bus headed for Jaipur from Udaipur was behind the gas tanker when the accident occurred and efforts were underway to find the details of the passengers onboard.
A fire department official said, "A few fire tenders from Mansarover were rushed to the spot based on primary information, but later more were sent from other stations as well."
A team from the regional transport office also reached the spot to investigate the incident and Forensic Science Laboratory teams collected evidence.
Locals complained of itching in the eyes and breathing problems due to the smoke. Some said a few birds were found dead nearby.
A pipe factory along the highway suffered damages in the incident.
Rajasthan Deputy Chief Minister Prem Chand Bairwa and Minister of State for Home Jawahwar Singh Bedham also reached the accident site, while state Congress chief Govind Singh Dotasra and several BJP and Congress MLAs visited the hospital.
The school van driver told PTI that the flames were visible from a kilometre away and there was panic and chaos on the highway.
"As I got closer to the spot, I saw people running in haste and shouting for help. I saw a man engulfed in flames. It was a frightening scene. Fire brigades and ambulances were there but it was difficult for them to reach the spot initially," he said.
Jaipur Police has issued the helpline numbers 91-66-347-551, 87-64-688-431 and 73-00-363-636 for people to get in touch for inquiries or relevant information.
Dotasra told reporters at the site, "Many of the injured are critical. Such incidents should not happen and for this, governments should make arrangements."
He said the government should form a high-level committee and take concrete action so that such incidents are not repeated.
