Jaipur, Dec 26, 2024, IANS

Jaipur, Dec 26 (IANS) One more person who suffered critical burn injuries in the December 20 tanker fire incident in Jaipur succumbed during treatment at Sawai Man Singh Hospital in Jaipur, taking the death toll to 19. Dr Rakesh Jain, a doctor at SMS Hospital, reported that 28-year-old Lalaram, who had sustained 60 per cent burns, was on a ventilator after sustaining injuries in the accident; however, he passed away at around 9.20 a.m. "Currently, 20 severely injured patients are being treated in the hospital's burn ward, with three of them on ventilators. Lalaram’s body has been placed in the hospital mortuary and will be handed over to his family following a post-mortem examination by a medical board," said Dr Jain. The fatalities from the Jaipur-Ajmer highway accident have been rising. On Wednesday, three patients succumbed to their injuries, following two deaths on Tuesday. Meanwhile, five patients were discharged -- three on December 23 and two on December 24. On December 25, 22-year-old Vijeta, a resident of Pratapgarh, passed away at 4 a.m., followed by 36-year-old Vijendra from Bhuribaraj, Jaipur, who died at 9.30 a.m. Later, at around 1 p.m., 35-year-old Banshilal succumbed to his injuries. Vijeta and Vijendra had each suffered 70 per cent burns. On December 24, two other victims lost their lives. They were identified as Naresh Babu from Etah, Uttar Pradesh, and Yusuf from Nuh, Haryana. The tragic accident occurred near DPS Bhankrota on Ajmer Road in Jaipur on December 20 resulting in devastating loss of life. Four people were burned alive at the scene, while eight others succumbed to their injuries the same day during treatment at Sawai Man Singh Hospital. Another person passed away later at Jaipuria Hospital. The accident happened when a truck collided with an LPG tanker, and the leaking gas caught fire which spread across the highway. Jaiveer Singh, the tanker driver, informed the police that he was alone in the vehicle at the time of the incident. "Without wasting time, I started running," he said. "The gas from the tanker spread on the road like a ball of fire. By the time I reached the ring road, I called the truck owner, Anil Kumar, and informed him about the incident. After that, I switched off my mobile." Further investigations are under progress in the incident.