One side of highway closed as emergency teams reach spot
A Hindustan Petroleum tanker carrying around 20 tonnes of gas developed a leak near Dosanjh village on the Barnala-Amritsar National Highway in Moga on Wednesday evening.
After the tanker driver informed the concerned departments, police and fire brigade teams reached the spot and began taking precautionary measures. One side of the national highway was closed to traffic, while people were stopped from approaching the tanker.
Driver notices damage at rear of tanker
According to tanker driver Iqbal Singh, he had stopped to get a puncture repaired before continuing his journey. After he started driving again, he heard an unusual sound coming from the vehicle.
On checking the rear of the tanker, he found that a section measuring around one metre had been damaged, following which gas started leaking from the tanker.
The driver said the tanker was carrying around 20 tonnes of gas. He also made a temporary attempt to block the damaged portion to reduce the leakage until the emergency teams arrived.
Electricity wires and nearby dhaba remain safety concerns
Officials said electricity wires passed above the tanker and a dhaba was located nearby, making safety precautions necessary while the leak was being handled.
Police and fire brigade personnel had restricted access to the area as the situation was being monitored. Traffic on one side of the highway was also stopped as a precaution.
Officials say risk remains until leakage stops
Fire and police officials said necessary arrangements were being made to manage the situation. However, they said the risk remained as long as gas continued to leak from the tanker.
Teams continued to monitor the tanker and taking precautionary measures to prevent any further incident in the area.
