JEYPORE : A tanker carrying liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) of Indian Oil Corporation (IOCL) veered off the road and fell into a nullah near Deoghat village near here on Monday. The staff of the gas tanker escaped narrowly.
According to sources, the tanker carrying over 17 tonne gas was going to Raipur from Visakhapatnam through Koraput when the driver lost control on the steering wheel and vehicle overturned while negotiating a turn around 2 pm. Soon after, panic gripped the local villages as the news spread. The villagers gathered on the hill top and remained there till sundown.
Police and fire service personnel rushed to the spot and blocked the Jeypore-Koraput link road where the accident occurred. Arrangements were made to empty the tanker. Police snapped mobile networks and power supply besides stopping movement of vehicles on the route to avert any untoward incident. The entire operation took over five hours.
Police cleared the road after the fire personnel declared that the situation is gas has been emptied. Meanwhile, a senior technical team of IOCL are investigating the accident. It is for the first time that a gas tanker met with an accident in the district.
According to reports, as many as 100 gas tankers pass through Koraput every day.