Truck catches fire after tyre burst on NH-26 in Koraput; repeated accidents spark safety concerns

Panic gripped areas along National Highway-26 in Odisha’s Koraput district after a moving truck caught fire following a tyre burst near Mungaragumi village under Sunki police station limits. The incident occurred on Friday, temporarily disrupting traffic and raising fresh concerns over road safety in the region.

According to reports, a truck loaded with carrots was travelling towards Andhra Pradesh when its front tyres suddenly burst. Moments later, the vehicle was engulfed in flames. The driver and his helper, however, managed to jump out of the truck in time and escaped unhurt, narrowly avoiding a major tragedy.

On receiving information, Sunki police and fire services personnel rushed to the spot. Firefighters battled the blaze for nearly an hour before bringing it under control. The fire caused panic among commuters and locals, and traffic movement on the highway was affected for some time before normalcy was restored.

Similar Incident in the Past

The latest incident comes close on the heels of another accident on the ghat section of National Highway-26. In the earlier mishap, a trailer truck reportedly lost control while negotiating a sharp curve, slipped off the ghat road and later caught fire. The vehicle was completely gutted in the blaze.

In that incident, too, the driver and his helper managed to escape from the vehicle in time and were not injured.

The repeated accidents on the ghat stretch of NH-26 have heightened safety concerns among local residents, who said frequent mishaps have created a sense of fear in the area. Locals have demanded stronger safety measures and better monitoring to prevent such incidents in the future.