A major accident occurred on the Attur–Thanjavur National Highway (NH-136) near Varanavasi in Ariyalur district on Tuesday morning when a lorry transporting 373 LPG cylinders overturned, leading to the explosion of approximately 80 cylinders in a series of intense blasts that engulfed the vehicle in flames.

The lorry, driven by P. Kanagaraj (34) from Inam Kulathur in Tiruchirappalli district, was carrying 359 cylinders of 14 kg each and 14 cylinders of 5 kg each from a bottling plant to a private distributor in Ariyalur. The vehicle had been parked overnight at Kallagam Toll Plaza and resumed its journey early morning. At around 6:45 a.m., the driver lost control, causing the lorry to veer off the road and overturn after its wheels slipped into a roadside pit.

Kanagaraj sustained injuries to his face and head in the crash. Alert residents and passers-by promptly rescued him and ensured his immediate transfer to Ariyalur Government Medical College Hospital via 108 ambulance. Crucially, the rescue took place minutes before the first explosion occurred, approximately ten minutes after the driver had been removed from the scene, thus preventing a potential tragedy.

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The explosions began shortly thereafter, with around 80 cylinders detonating successively, propelling some units high into the air and generating powerful shockwaves felt up to two kilometres away. Fire and rescue services from multiple stations across the district responded swiftly and battled the blaze for nearly two hours before bringing it under complete control. The lorry was completely gutted in the incident.

Senior officials including Minister for Transport and Electricity S.S. Sivasankar, District Collector P. Rathinasamy, and Superintendent of Police Vishwesh Balasubramaniam Shastri visited the site to oversee operations. Traffic on the highway remained disrupted for over two hours, with vehicles diverted through alternative routes. Police have confirmed that the accident was caused by loss of control and have dismissed rumours involving stray animals. Clearance operations are currently underway at the site.

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