A truck carrying 229 LPG cylinders was burnt to ashes after it caught fire and set off a chain of explosions.

The incident occurred near Nainital, India, at 11.30 am on Monday.

The truck was transporting cylinders from Haldwani to Almora in the Kumaon division, when its engine caught fire. The driver and his assistant saw smoke rising from the bonnet while crossing the Birbhatti Bridge.

They stopped the truck immediately and tried to put out the fire in vain. The fire spread quickly singing them before they could flee the spot.

It then spread to the container, which had the packed cylinders, setting them off in a massive series of explosions. Some of cargo flew out of the truck, which had turned into a fireball, and exploded again in the vicinity adding to the damage.

Five fire tenders and 15 fire fighters fought for six hours to douse the flames.

The incident led to huge traffic jams as officials shut down National Highway 87, where the incident occurred. The Birbhatti bridge has been closed and would be opened only after an evaluation by structural engineers from IIT-Roorkee, said officials.

Dipendra Kumar Chaudhary, district magistrate of Nainital, told The Times of India: “Safety measures in gas plants and transport vehicles would be reviewed to ensure that such incidents don’t happen again.”

The truck driver and his assistant have been admitted to a hospital in Nainital with burn injuries.