PM Modi condoles loss of lives in Rajasthan accident involving LPG tanker

New Delhi: Expressing grief over the loss of lives in a road accident in Rajasthan, Prime Minister Narendra Modi spoke to Chief Minister Bhajanlal Sharma on Friday to enquire about the incident and assured him of all possible support.

Modi said in a post on X, "Deeply saddened by the loss of lives in the accident on Jaipur-Ajmer highway in Rajasthan. Condolences to those who lost their loved ones. May the injured recover soon. The local administration is assisting those affected."

He announced an ex-gratia of Rs 2 lakh from the Prime Minister's National Relief Fund to the next of kin of each deceased. The injured would be given Rs 50,000, he added.

Official sources said Modi spoke to Sharma to enquire about the tragic incident.

An LPG tanker collided with a truck, sparking a massive fireball that turned a stretch of the Jaipur-Ajmer highway into an inferno in which at least eight people were killed and nearly 40 vehicles engulfed in flames.

Of the about 35 people injured, nearly half are "very critical", Rajasthan Health Minister Gajendra Singh Khimsar said.