JEYPORE: A person was killed after a gas tanker fell off Koraput ghat on NH-26 within Jeypore Sadar police limits on Wednesday. The deceased was the driver of the ill-fated tanker which was carrying LPG from Visakhapatnam to Raipur. His identity is yet to be ascertained.
Sources said the driver was trying to overtake a stationary truck and while negotiating the ghat road, lost control of the tanker. The vehicle rammed into the roadside guard wall and plunged into a 25 feet deep gorge. The driver was crushed under the tanker.
On being informed, an ODRAF team reached the spot and was trying to retrieve the driver’s body till reports last came in. Koraput Collector Md Abdaal Akhtar along with senior police and revenue officials rushed to the spot to take stock of the situation. The LPG authorities at Visakhapatnam were informed about the mishap and asked to take immediate steps to transfer the LPG from the accident site.
As part of preventive measures, the administration closed the Jeypore-Koraput NH-26 ghat section to avert any untoward incident. “We have closed the traffic on the route for safety of commuters and called in an expert team to drain the gas from the tanker,” said the Collector. Later on the day, an LPG technical team from Rayagada arrived at the mishap site to assess the situation. Sources said it will take at least a day’s time to transfer the LPG to a new tanker.