Five killed in fire at road construction site in Andhra Pradesh

Five people were killed in a fire at a road construction site in Andhra Pradesh’s Alluri Sitaramaraju district. Police said the blaze began while a pickup truck was being refuelled. Investigators are examining the circumstances surrounding the incident

Pinakota (Andhra Pradesh): Five people were killed in a fire at a road construction site in Alluri Sitaramaraju district on Saturday while a pickup truck was being refuelled, a police official said.

Superintendent of Police Amit Bardar said the incident occurred in Pinakota village in Anantagiri mandal, where workers transport diesel in drums to refuel vehicles because the construction site is around 100 km away.

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The workers may not have taken adequate precautions while filling the truck’s tank, and a spark could have triggered the fire, he said.

“It was not a blast. I would call it an accidental fire. Five deaths is what we have been able to confirm so far,” Bardar told PTI, adding that the incident occurred at around 8.30 am.

The fire initially broke out in the pickup truck before spreading to a nearby dumper truck and a two-wheeler, all of which were completely gutted.

However, according to PTI Videos, the fire was followed by an intense explosion that sent body parts of the victims flying around the site.

One body was found inside a vehicle, while two others were found nearby.

Bardar said the pickup truck belonged to the contractor undertaking the road construction work.

A police team had reached the spot, while another team was expected to arrive shortly to investigate the incident, he added.