A motorcyclist was burnt alive, while two others sustained burns after a tanker carrying fuel toppled and caught fire at a curve slope on the road near Kanavi in Harapanahalli taluk of Vijayanagara district on Sunday.
The deceased is Morigeri Nagaraj (33). Mahadevappa, the tanker driver and Chandru, the pillion rider, were injured in the accident. Chandru is stated to be serious, said the police.
The tanker, carrying 8,000 litres of diesel and 4,00 litres of petrol, was heading to a petrol bunk at Harapanahalli town when the accident occurred.
The tanker immediately caught fire after it toppled. Nagaraj’s bike, which was following the tanker, caught fire. He was burnt alive in a massive fire within minutes.
Three fire tenders and 20 firemen battled to douse the fire for hours. The fuel in the tanker was transferred to another container after the fire was extinguished completely.
The accident disrupted traffic movement for hours between Bendigeri and Kanchikeri route. Hundreds of vehicles had lined up causing inconvenience to the travelling public. The police cleared the tanker from the road and facilitated vehicular movement.