Most of the bodies that were brought to the hospital were charred beyond recognition.
Jaipur: Kanhailal Meena never imagined that Friday’s farewell to his wife, Anita, a constable with the Rajasthan Police, would be their last. Anita was among the 14 victims who lost their lives when an LPG tanker collided with several vehicles on the Jaipur-Ajmer highway, triggering a devastating fire that engulfed 40 vehicles.
Anita, who was posted with the 4th battalion of the RAC (Rajasthan Armed Constabulary) in Chainpura, was travelling from Dudu to Jaipur on Friday morning to report for duty. Anita, who was the sole breadwinner of her family, boarded the bus at 3 am.
However, the journey turned fatal as the sleeper bus caught fire during the accident in the Bhankrota area. The victims and the injured were taken to the Sawai Man Singh (SMS) Hospital.
As soon as the news flashed of the accident, Kanhailal Meena rushed to SMS Hospital in Jaipur to search for Anita. Initially, hospital employees informed him that Anita’s name was not on the list of injured passengers. However, fearing for the worst, Kanhailal checked the morgue. Most of the bodies that were brought to the hospital were charred beyond recognition. Kanhailal’s worst fears came true after he identified Anita’s toe rings on one of the bodies. The couple has two young children. Around 30 people were wounded in the incident. It took the fire department over seven hours to get the blaze completely under control.
Such was the magnitude of the blaze that eyewitnesses said the flames were spotted from nearly a kilometre away. A school van driver said 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 told the media.
Most of the bodies that were brought to the hospital were charred beyond recognition. Kanhailal’s worst fears came true after he identified Anita’s toe rings on one of the bodies. The couple has two young children.
Around 30 people were wounded in the incident. It took the fire department over seven hours to get the blaze completely under control.
Such was the magnitude of the blaze that eyewitnesses said the flames were spotted from nearly a kilometre away. A school van driver said 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 told reporters.