A major road accident took place at Mawpun Kshaid village in Ri-Bhoi today involving a fuel tanker that experienced a massive explosion after an accident.
At around 1:20pm, an over-speeding oil tanker transporting diesel overturned and hit a Maruti car, resulting in a sudden explosion that engulfed both vehicles.
The Maruti car was proceeding from Umroi towards Umsning when the incident occurred.
According to sources, the driver of the Maruti car stated that they were driving when the over-speeding tanker, coming from the opposite direction, overturned and hit their vehicle. Five occupants of the Maruti car, comprising four women and the driver, received minor injuries in the accident. They were immediately rescued by witnesses and shifted to Bhoirymbong community health centre for treatment.
The truck driver and handyman fled the scene following the incident. Fortunately, there were no other casualties arising from the incident, though both vehicles were completely gutted.
Umiam police station personnel, along with firemen, rushed to the spot to try and put out the fire. However, due to insufficient fire tankers, the massive flame took a long time to be controlled.
