Rautahat, August 6
A petrol tanker caught fire on the East-West Highway near Dhansar Bridge in Ward No. 3 of Gujara Municipality, Rautahat, on Thursday morning. The tanker was destroyed in the blaze following a road accident.
According to police, the incident occurred at around 5:30 am when the petrol tanker (registration number Madhesh Province 03-001 Kha 7811) was travelling from Amlekhgunj in Bara to Sarlahi. The vehicle reportedly overturned onto its right side after the driver lost control while trying to avoid a deer that had suddenly crossed the highway.
The tanker caught fire immediately after overturning, the Rautahat District Police Office said.
Police teams from the Chandranigahapur Area Police Office and the District Traffic Police Office in Chapur, along with fire engines from Chandrapur and Nijgadh municipalities, responded to the scene and brought the fire under control.
Although the tanker was destroyed, no human casualties were reported, according to DSP Basanta Gautam of the Rautahat District Police Office.
Traffic on the Mahendra Highway, which was temporarily disrupted following the accident, has now resumed normal operation.
Police have taken the tanker driver, 25-year-old Samir Gurung of Simara Sub-Metropolitan City-11 in Bara, into custody and are conducting further investigation into the incident.
