LPG Tanker Overturns in Coimbatore, Prompting Five School Closures
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Chennai, Jan 3 (NationPress) A tanker lorry carrying 20 metric tons of Liquid Petroleum Gas (LPG) overturned on the Avinashi flyover in Tamil Nadu's Coimbatore during the early hours of Friday.
The tanker was transporting LPG from the Kochi Bharat Petroleum Plant to a storage facility in Coimbatore when the incident occurred. The driver of the vehicle suffered minor injuries.
The overturning led to a gas leak, which has now been contained after several hours of response efforts.
Authorities indicated that the leak posed a considerable risk to residents in the surrounding area. As a precautionary measure, five schools in the vicinity were closed to ensure the safety of children, and residents living within a one-kilometre radius of the accident site were evacuated.
The Avinashi flyover remains closed, with vehicles being redirected to alternative routes.
Specialized equipment brought from Tiruchy was employed to safely remove the overturned tanker.
Officials noted that the absence of overhead power lines on the flyover significantly mitigated the risk of a major disaster.
This incident has drawn parallels to the December 20 accident on the Jaipur-Ajmer highway, where an LPG tanker caught fire after rolling over. That tragic event resulted in the deaths of four individuals on the spot and left around 80 others injured, several of whom were critically wounded, leading to a total death toll of 19.
The fire destroyed 37 vehicles, including trailers, trucks, buses, and several smaller vehicles. The dense smoke caused eye irritation and breathing issues for local residents, with some reporting dead birds found in the area.
Just ten days prior to the Coimbatore incident, another LPG truck accident occurred in the district when a truck filled with LPG cylinders overturned at Kanuvai; fortunately, no casualties were reported.
Authorities later disclosed that poor vehicle maintenance was a contributing factor to the incident. In Friday’s case, officials are continuing to work diligently to secure the area and clear the overturned tanker.
