Jaipur: The death toll of the Jaipur tanker blast increased to 18 on Wednesday after three more injured persons succumbed to their injuries at Sawai Man Singh Hospital.
The three persons who succumbed their injuries on Wednesday have been identified as Vijayata (22), a resident of Pratapgarh, Vijendra (36) from Pawta (Jaipur) and Banshilal (35) also succumbed to his injuries at 1 p.m. Vijay and Vijendra had suffered 70 per cent burns.
The officials have said that all three were from Rajasthan.
He also said that around 15 patients with severe burns are currently receiving treatment in the burn ward of the SMS Hospital.
The bodies of the deceased have been placed in the hospital mortuary and will be handed over to their families after post-mortem examinations conducted by a medical board.
Dr Rakesh Jain, a plastic surgeon at SMS Hospital, confirmed that a total of 18 people have died so far. Following the deaths of two individuals on Tuesday, three more fatalities were reported on Wednesday– two in the morning and one in the afternoon. Among the victims were two men and a woman, he added.
Pertinent to mention the accident occurred near Bhankrota on the Jaipur-Ajmer Highway on December 20 in which four people were burned alive on the spot, while eight others died the same day during treatment at SMS Hospital. One death was reported at Jaipuria Hospital.
On Tuesday, police interrogated Jaiveer Singh, the driver of the LPG tanker involved in the accident. He revealed that the incident occurred when he made a U-turn to access the ring road at 5.44 a.m. A truck collided with his tanker from behind, leading to the blast. The police have also summoned Anil, the truck owner and a resident of Delhi, for questioning.