8 dead in gas tanker fire in India

An LPG tanker truck overturned on a highway in India, setting off a fire so intense it killed eight people and destroyed homes in a wide radius, police said. The tanker, which was transporting 17.5 tons of liquid petroleum gas, overturned Tuesday while negotiating a curve on a highway near Uppinangady, near the port town of Mangalore in the southern state of Karnataka, authorities said. The Times of India said three more people suffered severe burns and remained hospitalized. Those killed included the tanker driver and four women, the Indian Express reported. The Times, quoting eyewitnesses, said the fire erupted after the truck overturned and spread across a 300-meter (985-foot) radius, engulfing eight nearby homes, shops and a garage. Many of the victims were burned alive. The fire also damaged four other vehicles. Firemen said 13 fire trucks fought the blaze for more than five hours before bringing it under control. "The blaze was so intense that everything in a 300-metre radius was burned, including houses and trees," a fire official told the Times, adding the scene reminded him of an air crash in the area in May 2010.