Tanker carrying oil from Bathinda to Bikaner IAF station crashes into canal

A tanker transporting 28,000 litres of oil from Bathinda to an Indian Air Force station near Bikaner fell into Indira Gandhi Canal on National Highway 62 late Tuesday night. The incident occurred when the driver lost control of the vehicle while crossing a bridge, breaking through the side structures and plunging into the canal.

The driver and two other occupants, Anil Kumar from Kaithal in Haryana, Mandeep Singh from Pakka Kalan village in Bathinda, and Kamal, were injured in the accident. They were rescued by volunteers from Tiger Force NGO, the police and local residents, and admitted to the Loonkaransar government hospital.

Efforts to retrieve the tanker from the canal using three cranes were unsuccessful until Wednesday evening. The administration has appealed to farmers in the area to avoid using canal water for the next few hours to prevent any potential contamination. OC