CALCUTTA, India A crowded ‘bus rammed a tanker in Calcutta’s business district Friday, triggering an explosion that Killed at least to people and injured 33,
The explosion coated an eight stories office building with burning fuel. Flames leaped up the building’s facade and pieces of charred masonry showered down. The blaze was Visible more than 6 miles away, and dense black smoke billowed from the tanker.
‘The nearby Calcutta Stock Exchange and several commercial firms were forced to suspend busin55 as police cordoned off the area.
Police said the blaze killed the bus driver and sidewalk peddler ‘who tried to battle through the flames to save his wares. Thirty three people were injured, three of them sustaining burns over 95 percent of their bodies. The injured included five firefighters.
‘The accident occurred about ‘midday when the bus collided with the tanker as it attempted to Overtake the truck, officials said.
Bus passengers scrambled to safety as the truck exploded and flames engulfed the area. It was not known how many passengers ‘were on board,
‘Some 20 fire engines took two hours to extinguish the blaze,
Firefighters were hampered by curious bystanders who defied police attempts to chase them away.
‘The cordon caused major traffic jams in the bustling business area of India’s second largest city.
Article extracted from this publication >> March 28, 1986
