Two killed as trucks carrying ammunition collide
By Sunny Sebastian
(OLD REPORT JUST FOR REFERENCE...VIBHA TAILANG)
BIKANER, JAN. 11. Panic gripped residential areas on the outskirts of Bikaner after two trucks carrying ammunition collided in the cantonment area of Udasar on Friday evening, setting off a series of explosions. (A PTI report said between 60 and 70 trucks, in the convoy of around 250, were gutted in the fire.)
Two women died while 15 others, including two Army personnel, were admitted to the PBM Hospital in the town.
Coming as it did after similar incidents involving Army ammunition depots in neighboring Suratgarh and in Bharatpur, people from the adjoining colonies moved out in a hurry. The posh Jainarain Vyas Colony was evacuated in no time; there were also reports of residents leaving the nearby Karni Nagar and other localities. The terror was pronounced as some more trucks carrying ammunition were present in the area.
Eyewitnesses said the private trucks, which were carrying ammunition from Bhatinda to Bikaner, collided around 3 p.m. According to another version, one of the trucks caught fire after which the explosions started.
Residents said there was a lull after the first series of blasts; the next round started at around 6 p.m. The area was cordoned off by the Army and the police, and all traffic on the highway blocked. Some residents also complained that STD lines were not working.
Patients in the casualty wards of the PBM Hospital were shifted out to accommodate those injured in the blasts. Buses were arranged by the administration to help the panic-stricken people move out.
PTI reports:
``Electrical sparks in one of the trucks triggered the blast and fire enveloped nearby vehicles,'' Army officials said. Flames leapt to some 200 feet as a series of deafening explosions shattered the windowpanes of nearby houses.
``We have been able to retrieve some 160 to 170 trucks and have driven them away. Efforts are on to douse the fire,'' the officials said. Both civilian and Army fire tenders were pressed into service to control the flames.
Probe ordered
The Defence Minister, George Fernandes, tonight ordered a comprehensive enquiry into the cause of the fire. Mr. Fernandes would visit Bikaner tomorrow for an on-the-spot inspection, a Defence Ministry spokesman said.
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