With five more people succumbing to injuries in the last 24 hours, the toll in the August 29 night gas tanker blast at Chala in Kannur District of Kerala has risen to 11. Police said Abdul Razaq (58), Lakshmanan, Homeo Dr Krishnan (78), his wife Devi and Nisha Rajan (19), who were admitted to different hospitals with severe burn injuries, succumbed. Remlath and Nirmla, wives of Razaq and Lakshmanan respectively, were among the six people who had died earlier. As many as 12 people, who had sustained severe burn injuries in the blast, were undergoing treatment. Besides the loss of lives and many sustaining injuries, 32 offices, 40 houses and 11 vehicles were also damaged in the accident. Meanwhile, the driver of the vehicle, Kannaiyan, who fled the scene after mishap, surrendered before the Special Investigation Team constitued by the state government to probe the tragedy, today. The accident occurred when the gas tanker, proceeding to a bottling plant in Kozhikode from Mangalore, exploded after hitting a road divider near Chala Temple in the district.
—–UNI