Thiruvananthapuram, Friday, January 01, 2010: The disaster management authority has submitted its primary report to Revenue Minister KP Rajendran regarding yesterday’s fuel tanker explosion near Puthentheruvu near Karunagappally.The reports says, the capsule exploded around 4.30 a.m. the very moment the police jeep used by the highway patrolling party led by Chavara SI was started. The jeep was about to leave to bring ice slabs from Chavara to prevent the leakage of the LPG as directed by the Fire and Rescue Service personnel.

The report also says that a final conclusion could only be reached after more scientific examination. The report mentions the need to modernize fire force and police services to combat such a situation in future, latest equipments must be provided to handle toxic fuel leak.

Four people, including a police constable, died and 22 suffered burns when a tanker lorry exploded much later after colliding with a car in the wee hours of Thursday on the NH 47 at Puthentheruvu near Karunagappally.

The condition of many of those who have been admitted to various hospitals with severe burns is reported to be serious. Four policemen, including Chavara SI Shukkur, and two Fire and Rescue Service personnel also were among those injured. All of them were engaged in the rescue operations.

A police jeep and about 40 motorbikes kept in a shop selling used bikes were gutted.

More than 10 shops in the area and a Maruti car and a motorbike parked in the shed of a house nearby were also destroyed in the fire. The disaster occurred when the tanker lorry coming from Mangalore to the LPG filling station at Parippally in the district collided with the WagonR car which was coming from Thiruvananthapuram airport around 3.50 a.m. The capsule of the tanker lorry filled with 17 MT of LPG got detached from the trailer and fell on the road in the impact of the collision. Soon the gas began to gush out of the capsule through a valve which was broken.