MP: Woman killed, 23 people injured as fuel tanker catches fire in Khargone
Khargone, Oct 26: A woman was killed and at least 23 other people were injured when a fuel tanker caught fire after overturning near a village in Madhya Pradesh's Khargone district on Wednesday morning, officials said.
Superintendent of Police Dharmveer Singh while quoting locals said people from Anjangaon village had gathered to look at the tanker after it overturned near the village. The vehicle then suddenly caught fire causing the casualties, he said.
One of the injured persons said a blast occurred in the tanker after it overturned.
The incident took place at around 5 am near Anjangaon village under Bistan police station limits, about 30 km from the district headquarters, police said.
Khargone Collector Kumar Purushottam told reporters that one person was killed and at least 23 others suffered burn injuries in the incident which occurred after the tanker of the Bharat Petroleum Corporation Limited (BPCL) overturned.
The deceased was identified as Rangubai (19), he said.
Some of the seriously injured persons were referred to Indore for further treatment, he said.
The collector also said that BPCL officials have been asked to conduct an inquiry into the incident.
Jagdish, who was among those injured in the incident, said a blast took place suddenly in the tanker when the villagers reached the spot after the vehicle overturned.
The tanker driver and conductor fled from the spot, he said.
Anjangaon resident Ghurmul Sisodia said the fire broke out suddenly in the fuel tanker when the villagers went to the spot to look at it.
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Odisha: Normalcy returns to violence-hit Malkangiri; internet services fully restored
Malkangiri (PTI): Normalcy returned to Odisha’s Malkangiri district on Monday, nearly a week after around 200 villages were damaged in violent clashes in a village, with the district administration fully restoring internet services, a senior official said.
Additional District Magistrate Bedabar Pradhan said internet services, suspended across the district on December 8 to curb the spread of rumours and misinformation following the clashes, were restored after the situation improved.
The suspension had been extended in phases till 12 noon on Monday.
The administration also withdrew prohibitory orders imposed under Section 163 of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita within a 10-km radius of MV-26 village, where arson incidents were reported on December 7 and December 8.
Though the violence was confined to two villages, tension had gripped the entire district, as the incident took the form of a clash between local tribals and Bengali settlers following the recovery of a headless body of a woman on December 4, officials said.
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The violence broke out after residents of Rakhelguda village allegedly set ablaze several houses belonging to Bengali residents, forcing hundreds to flee. The headless body of Lake Podiami (51), a woman from the Koya tribe, was recovered from the banks of the Poteru river on December 4, while her head was found six days later at a location about 15 km away.
Officials said the district administration held several rounds of discussions with representatives of the tribal and Bengali communities, following which both sides agreed to maintain peace.
Relief and rehabilitation work has since been launched at MV-26 village, with preliminary assessment pegging property damage at around Rs 3.8 crore.
A two-member ministerial team headed by Deputy Chief Minister K V Singh Deo visited the affected village, interacted with officials and locals, and submitted a report to the chief minister.
So far, 18 people have been arrested in connection with the violence, the officials said, adding that despite the withdrawal of prohibitory orders and restoration of internet services, security forces, including BSF and CRPF personnel, continue to be deployed to prevent any untoward incident.
On Sunday, Nabarangpur MP Balabhadra Majhi visited MV-26 and neighbouring Rakhelguda villages, and held discussions with members of both communities as part of efforts to rebuild confidence and restore peace.
More than two lakh Bengali-speaking Bangladeshis were rehabilitated by the Centre in Malkangiri and Nabarangpur districts in 1968, and they currently reside in 124 villages of Malkangiri.
