Hoshiarpur, Aug. 24 -- The death toll in the LPG tanker explosion near Mandiala Adda on the Hoshiarpur-Jalandhar road rose to three on Saturday, as another victim succumbed to burn injuries, police said.

The incident occurred around 10pm on Friday when a pickup truck collided with an LPG tanker, triggering a massive fire. The blaze rapidly spread, engulfing 30 shops and 20 residences in the vicinity.

According to police, 28-year-old Dharminder Verma of Mandiala village, who had sustained critical burns, died at Government Medical College in Amritsar, said civil surgeon Dr Pawan Kumar.

Earlier, the bodies of tanker driver Sukhjeet Singh, a resident of Dehlon in Ludhiana, and Balwant Rai, a local resident, were recovered. Rai was charred...