How 24 schoolkids were saved from LPG cylinder blasts in Surat

SURAT: Twenty four schoolchildren had a miraculous escape after their bus collided with truck at a stone’s throw away from a tanker carrying LPG bottles that had gone up in flames on Surat-Olpad road on Thursday.
The bus of Radiant International School located on Ugat-Jahangirpura Canal Road was on way to Surat from Olpad taking the children to school.In the meantime, a tanker of Indian Oil Corporation (IOC) loaded with nearly 300 LPG bottles caught fire at around 7:15am. As a result of the fire and thick plumes of smoke, one side of the state highway was closed for vehicles. A truck driver, who had to take a wrong side because of the blockage, failed to see the school bus approaching and both vehicles collided head on close to the tanker.
The children - all aged between 10-12 years- were safely taken out of the bus just in the nick of time as LPG cylinders from the near-by tanker started exploding one after another.
While the truck driver fled from the spot, the bus driver suffered minor injuries. However, all three vehicles were charred as the flames from the tanker spread rapidly. The accident happened near Masma village, some 20 km from Surat city.
The fire in tanker is suspected to have been triggered due to sparks in the battery devise of the vehicle. It spread rapidly and engulfed the whole tanker. Panic gripped the area as the cylinders started exploding one after another.
An eyewitness said that thick plumes of black smoke were visible from long distance and constant explosions of LPG cylinders created a major scare on the highway and near-by areas.
“The explosions were so loud that it looked as if someone had hurled grenades,” said a fire brigade officer who had rused with the team from Mora Bhagal station.
Four fire fighting vehicles from Mora Bhagal, Palanpur and Adajan fire stations of Surat were rushed to the spot. Nearly 30,000 litres of water was used to cool the vehicles and the cylinders.
Basant Pareek, chief fire officer, Surat Municipal Corporation, said, “It was nothing short of a miracle that major tragedy was averted. All the schoolchildren were moved to safety in the nick of time and there were no injuries to anyone. The initial fire started due to sparks in tanker’s battery and spread very quickly. The tanker driver had also fled.”
It took nearly two hours to clear the spot and ensure normal traffic flow.