Bhubaneswar: Panic gripped the locals after a tanker carrying liquified petroleum gas (LPG) overturned at Banjari ghat in Odisha’s Kalahandi district today.

The mishap took place between Chhatikuda and Sikerkupa after the driver lost control over the tanker while giving way to a truck in the evening.

The accident was so severe that the engine of the tanker was broken into pieces. The tanker was transporting cooking gas (LPG) from Visakhapatnam in Andhra Pradesh to Balangir in Odisha.

The driver of the tanker sustained grievous injuries in the mishap and was rushed to the District Headquarters Hospital (DHH) at Bhawanipatna for treatment.

The accident reportedly caused a gas leak from the tanker, which triggered panic among the local residents. However, there was no confirmation in this regard from Kalahandi district administration.

On being informed, Bhawanipatna Sub-Collector Pravat Kumar Parida, Narla Additional Tehsildar Amar Paraseth and senior officials of police, Fire Brigade and Electricity Department reached the spot and took stock of the situation.  

The administration has imposed restrictions on vehicular traffic on the road due to the mishap. However, it has asked the locals not to panic as there was no confirmation regarding the gas leak after the mishap.