BETTIAH, Dec. 11 -- A major tragedy was averted after an Indian Oil Corporation's (IOC) LPG tanker developed a leak at Raxaul in Bihar's East Champaran district on Wednesday. Raxaul's sub divisional police officer (SDPO) Manish Anand said the leakage in the tanker was reported when the tanker was on its way to Nepal from Barauni near integrated check post (ICP) in Raxaul on Wednesday. "Yes, there was a palpable risk following the leakage of the LPG. But, no untoward incident rereported. Thanks to the efforts of IOC staffers, things could be brought under control," said the sub divisional police officer. People familiar with the matter said the incident came to the fore after the driver of the tanker brought the tanker to the halt near ICP and the leakage of gas, causing widespread panic. "The entire area was filled with a strong stench of gas having the potentiality of a devastating explosion," said sources quoting eyewitnesses. Upon receiving the information, the local police led by SDPO Manish Anand and the fire brigade team reached the spot and cordoned off the area, restricting the movement of vehicles and electricity supply in a radius of 1000 meter. "Soon we took a slew of action which include evacuating the nearby area, shutting down the adjacent power grid. These actions successfully brought the situation under control and averted a major disaster," said SDPO Anand....