Ludhiana, March 30 -- A tanker carrying 15,000 kg of carbon dioxide gas overturned on a flyover near Bharat Nagar Chowk in the early hours of Saturday causing panic in the area.

Eyewitnesses reported seeing the overturned tanker spewing gas as driver Mantu, a resident of Bathinda, escaped with minor injuries. In his statement to police, Mantu said that he was transporting the industrial gas from Bathinda to a factory in Sherpur when the vehicle developed a technical snag while negotiating the flyover. "I lost control and the tanker toppled. When gas started leaking, I jumped out to save my life," the driver said.

Local police responded swiftly to emergency calls. Division number 5 police immediately cordoned off the affected stretch as ...