India News : A massive explosion rocked Mandiala village in Punjab’s Hoshiarpur district late Friday night after a LPG-filled tanker was hit by a truck, leading to a devastating fire. The explosion resulted in the death of two people, while 30 others sustained injuries, some of them critically. The blaze engulfed 15 shops and four houses, reducing them to ashes.
The injured have been admitted to Hoshiarpur Civil Hospital, with six reported in serious condition. As a precautionary measure, authorities have sealed the Hoshiarpur-Jalandhar National Highway and evacuated people from a 1-kilometer radius around the accident site. Panic spread across the village, forcing many residents to flee several kilometers away.
Sequence of Events
The accident occurred when a speeding truck collided with a tanker carrying liquefied petroleum gas, causing the tanker to overturn and explode. The impact led to an instantaneous gas leak, followed by a massive fire that rapidly spread to nearby homes and shops. Many villagers were asleep at the time and had little chance to escape, resulting in multiple casualties and severe burns.
Emergency services, including police, SDRF, and local administration, rushed to the scene. Firefighters worked through the night and managed to control the flames by around 1:30 AM, said Deputy Commissioner Aashika Jain.
Cabinet Minister Dr. Rajkumar Ranjan Singh, who visited the site, described the incident as “tragic” and assured support for the victims. Authorities have not yet released the identities of the deceased, and a detailed assessment of loss and cause will be conducted once the area is fully secured.
