People residing near Varapuzha on National Highway 17 had a narrow escape from a major fire accident on Saturday morning. A tanker lorry carrying aviation turbine fuel hit a stationary lorry with protruding logs of woods in the early hours of the day. Though the highly inflammable fuel leaked from one of the compartments of the tanker lorry, timely intervention by the Fire Force and the police prevented a fire which could have caused heavy damage to life and property.
Incidents of LPG bullet tankers bursting into flames after getting involved in road accidents have happened in Kerala in recent times. Fire accidents involving LPG carriers at Kannur and Karunagappally are fresh in the memory of the people of the State. The roads with its inherent shortcomings, offer no safe mode for transporting the inflammable material. Such hazardous materials could have been transported through the State’s waterways using roll-in, roll-out vessels. Each of these vessels can transport many lorries laden with goods. As the name says, the lorries are driven inside them at one point and driven out at or near the destination.