JAIPUR: The death toll in a tanker fire incident in Rajasthan has risen to 19, with another man succumbing to severe burn injuries at the Sawai Man Singh (SMS) Hospital on Thursday.
SMS Hospital Superintendent Dr. Sushil Bhati confirmed that one more fatality was recorded on Thursday, bringing the total number of deaths in the horrific incident to 19.
"Currently, 11 people are undergoing treatment at the hospital," he said, adding that two or three of them are likely to be discharged later on Thursday.
Lalaram (28), who passed away on Thursday, had sustained 60% burn injuries and was on ventilator support. Three other patients are also on ventilator support.
The body has been shifted to the hospital's mortuary for post-mortem examination.
Lalaram's friend, Ramavtar, shared that the victim worked as a security guard for an IT company in the Mahindra SEZ.
He was on his way to work on a motorcycle when he got caught in the fire.
"He had a morning shift that day. He was a resident of Sanganer but had recently moved to the Kanota area on the Agra highway. He was on his motorcycle when the incident occurred," Ramavtar said.
The victim was unmarried. Three people who had sustained injuries in the incident succumbed on Wednesday.
The tragedy occurred on December 20 when an LPG tanker collided with a truck, sparking a massive fireball that engulfed a stretch of the Jaipur-Ajmer highway.
Eleven people died on the day of the incident, while four more succumbed to their injuries in the following days.