The driver of the LPG tanker that was involved in the explosion on the Jaipur-Ajmer highway following a crash with a truck has survived the accident. He appeared before the police and will be questioned by the Special Investigating Team (SIT) probing the accident that killed 13 people.

The nozzle of the tanker got damaged after the crash. The LPG gas the tanker was transporting oozed out of the vehicle, triggering a massive fire that engulfed over 30 vehicles. Scores of people sustained severe burn injuries.

The driver of the tanker, Jaiveer, 40, didn’t sustain any severe injury. A resident of Uttar Pradesh’s Mathura, he sensed that the collision had damaged the nozzle of the tanker. He escaped before the fire started.

The police said he realised that the nozzle of the vehicle had been damaged and a fire would be triggered by the ignition of other vehicles. He also ran towards the opposite side of the LPG spill.

“We cannot blame the tanker driver immediately as the container truck driver had hit his vehicle. He saw that the tanker’s nozzles had broken and realised that there could be an explosion as other drivers were turning on the ignition of their vehicles. So, he fled to save his life,” Deputy Commissioner of Police (West) Amit Kumar told PTI.

The driver of the container truck which rammed the LPG tanker died in the explosion. The DCP said Jaiveer was among the nine drivers present at the accident scene who managed to escape the fire, PTI reported.

More than two dozen people were injured in the accident and 23 are undergoing treatment at Sawai Man Singh (SMS) Hospital.

Also read: How heroic 20-year-old saved 30 burn victims of Jaipur LPG tanker blast

Police have registered a case under multiple sections of the Bharatiya Nyay Sanhita (BNS), including rash and negligent driving, causing death by negligent act and causing hurt by endangering life.