HYDERABAD: A welder and a tanker owner were killed and three others suffered injuries when an empty diesel tanker exploded on the service road of Hyderabad-Vijayawada highway in Suryapet on Monda. The deceased were identified as welder M Arjun and tanker owner-cum-driver B Arjun of Suryapet.
“There was a leak from one of the tanker’s valves and the explosion occurred when Arjun was trying to fix the leak through gas welding,” Suryapet police said. Arjun was hired by Ramana to carry out the work. Due to the severity of the explosion, the tanker’s walls were ripped open. “The welder and B Arjun who was standing close to him died on the spot. Ramana, tanker driver Mallesh and cleaner Venkata Narayana suffered injuries. Mallesh suffered severe injuries and was shifted to Hyderabad for better treatment. Ramana and Narayana are undergoing treatment at a local hospital,” Suryapet DSP Mohan Kumar said.
Police suspect that while doing the welding work, the welder and others might not have taken proper precautions. “When Arjun started welding work, the sparks might have ignited fuel fumes and caused the explosion,” police said. Clues team collected forensic samples from the spot. Case is being registered.
