20230702 Truck catches fire after hitting overhead wires at rly crossing
India Jul 02 2023 “Automobile & Railway”
Dead : dead 0 or unknown Burnout : 0 or unknown Injured : injured 0 or unknown
Truck catches fire after hitting overhead wires at rly crossing
Updated: 2023-07-02
Raipur: An overloaded truck caught fire after colliding with the overhead extension (OHE) above the railway track while crossing the Sakreli railway crossing in the Bardwar police station area of Sakti district on the intervening night of of Friday and Saturday, causing disruptions in train movements along the route and resulted in a major traffic jam on national highway no. 49, which connects Raipur to Raigarh.
According to the Sakti police, the truck was carrying an excessive load of insulated electric wires, and the collision with the OHE caused a spark, igniting a massive fire. The fire brigade faced difficulty in extinguishing the flames as the truck’s fuel tank also caught fire.
The driver of the truck managed to jump out of the cabin to save his life. As the incident occurred around midnight on Friday, train operations on this route were affected for several hours. The jam on national highway no. 49 lasted for eight hours. A long queue of heavy and light vehicles stretched for five kilometers along the national highway.
Despite the efforts of the fire brigade, the truck was completely reduced to ashes. The district administration, police, and fire brigade personnel arrived at the scene to tackle the situation. After several hours of battling the fire, it was finally brought under control.
“Due to the fire incident on the track late Friday night, several trains passing through Sakti were delayed for hours. A total of eight trains, six heading up and two heading down, were affected for about four hours. We managed to clear the track by 3 am on Saturday,” said Vikas Kashyap, deputy chief manager of SECR Bilaspur.
Web Source: The Times of India