Two killed in gas tanker explosion near refinery in Panipat

Panipat, January 22

Two persons were killed while two others sustained critical burns after an empty gas tanker exploded at Dadlana chowk near IOCL refinery here. The tanker caught fire during welding work.

The deceased have been identified as Junaid (23), a resident of Jamalpur village in Haridwar district in Uttarakhand and Sushil alias Pappu (61) of Gopal Colony in Panipat. The injured have been identified as Mohammad Husain of Uttar Pradesh and Somnath, a welder. The welding shop has also been damaged in the explosion.

Tasleem, brother of the deceased Junaid said he, along with Junaid and Husain, had come to Panipat to load gas in the tanker from the refinery. Before loading the gas, they noticed that the latch of the tanker’s box was broken. They took the tanker to a welding shop to get it fixed. Junaid was on the driving seat and Pappu was carrying out repair work on the conductor’s seat.

When Somnath started the welding process, the tanker caught fire and exploded. The people soon gathered at the spot and informed the police about the incident. They also started rescuing the victims and called an ambulance. The police immediately rushed all the injured to the general hospital here. The doctor declared Junaid and Pappu brought dead while injured are undergoing treatment at the hospital.

Inspector Ram Niwas, SHO, Sadar police station, said the bodies had been sent to mortuary at general hospital for the postmortem. Probe into the matter is underway, he added.