When Kanhailal Meena accompanied his wife, a constable in Rajasthan Police, to the bus stop on Friday, he had no idea it would be their final farewell. Anita Meena was one of the 14 individuals who lost their lives when an LPG tanker crashed into several vehicles on the Jaipur-Ajmer highway, igniting a large fire that consumed 40 vehicles.
Anita, assigned to the 4th battalion of the RAC (Rajasthan Armed Constabulary) in Chainpura, was on her way from Dudu to Jaipur on Friday morning to report for her duty. Anita, the only provider for her family, got on the bus at 3 am.
Upon hearing the news of the accident, Kanhailal Meena hurried to SMS Hospital in Jaipur to look for Anita. At first, hospital staff told him that Anita’s name was absent from the list of injured passengers. Fearing the worst outcome, Kanhailal investigated the morgue.
The majority of the bodies that arrived at the hospital were burned beyond identification. Kanhailal’s deepest anxieties were realized when he recognized Anita’s toe rings on one of the corpses. The duo has two small kids.
Approximately 30 individuals were injured in the event. The fire department required more than seven hours to fully contain the blaze.
The intensity of the fire was such that onlookers noted the flames could be seen from almost a kilometre away. A driver of a school van reported that there was disorder and fear on the highway.
“As I approached the location, I noticed individuals rushing in haste and calling for assistance. I witnessed a man surrounded by fire. It was a terrifying sight. Fire crews and paramedics arrived, but they faced challenges accessing the location at first,” he told PTI.
