Jodhpur, March 18 The driver was killed after a tanker carrying a flammable substance overturned and caught fire on a section of National Highway-68 in Jalore district of Rajasthan on Wednesday afternoon.
The incident occurred around 2 pm near the Sinwada overbridge in the Sanchor area, with flames spreading up to 200 metres along the road following the accident, causing traffic disruption on one of the carriageways.
According to police, the tanker, bearing a Gujarat registration number, was travelling from Barmer towards Gujarat when it lost control and overturned, spilling its flammable contents which immediately caught fire.
Due to the slope of the overbridge, the liquid substance flowed downhill, causing the fire to spread rapidly, police said.
The deceased has been identified as driver Sukhram Meghwal, 34, a resident of Gudamalani in the Barmer district.
He was trapped inside the vehicle and died in the tanker's cabin.
His cousin, Narsiram Meghwal, 26, who was accompanying him, managed to jump out of the tanker in time and survived, sustaining injuries. He was rushed to a hospital for treatment.
Sub-Divisional Magistrate (Sanchore) Pramod Kumar said the nature of the flammable substance being transported by the tanker is yet to be ascertained.
"We are trying to find out what substance was being carried in the tanker. We are also waiting for the survivor to be in a position to speak, although he had boarded the ill-fated vehicle en route," Kumar said.
On receiving information, police and administrative officials rushed to the spot and diverted traffic to the other side of the highway.
A fire tender was rushed to the spot and the blaze was controlled in an hour.
The flames were so intense that it triggered panic among passing motorists, many of whom stopped their vehicles at a safe distance.
A large crowd gathered at the accident site soon after the tanker overturned.
According to sources, the tanker may have been carrying ethanol, and was en route to Kandla in Gujarat from Bathinda in Punjab. Another driver who was part of the journey had reportedly disembarked earlier at Gudamalani.