Fire erupts as Bharat Petroleum tanker overturns on highway in Rajasthan’s Jalore; one killed

One person was charred to death after a tanker transporting an inflammable substance overturned and burst into flames on a stretch of National Highway-48 in Rajasthan’s Jalore district on Wednesday (March 18, 2026), police said.

The incident took place near the Sinwara overbridge on the Jaisalmer-Jamnagar highway stretch when the Bharat Petroleum tanker – travelling from Barmer to Sanchore – overturned, causing the flammable substance to spill and ignite.

Police said the fire spread over several metres on the highway, leading to disruption of traffic on one carriageway. While one person in the tanker was burnt alive, another managed to escape in time.

Administrative officials and police teams from the local outpost rushed to the spot after receiving information. A fire brigade team from Sanchore was pressed to douse the flames.

Chittalwana Station House Officer Bhanwar Lal said the nature of the flammable substance which the tanker was carrying is yet to be ascertained.

The tanker, bearing a Gujarat registration number, belongs to Bharat Petroleum, he said, adding that further investigation is underway.