Key Takeaways:

• Tanker overturned at 5:30 am near Dhansar Bridge, Gujara Municipality-3
• Blaze destroyed vehicle, traffic halted for one hour on East-West Highway
• Fire controlled by police, traffic unit and Nijgadh fire brigade by 6:50 am
• Driver Samir Gurung, 25, taken into custody for investigation

KATHMANDU, AUGUST 6 A petrol tanker was engulfed in flames after it overturned while attempting to avoid a deer that suddenly crossed the East-West Highway in Rautahat early Thursday, although no human casualties were reported. The incident occurred at around 5:30 am near the Dhansar Bridge in Gujara Municipality-3, when the Madhesh Province 03-001 Kha 7811 petrol tanker was travelling from Amlekhgunj in Bara to Sarlahi, police said. According to the District Police Office, the tanker lost control while trying to avoid the deer, overturned on the roadside and caught fire shortly afterwards. The blaze caused panic in the area and forced authorities to halt traffic on the highway for about an hour. A joint team from the Chandranigahapur Area Police Office, the District Traffic Police Office and the Nijgadh Municipality Fire Brigade brought the fire under control by around 6:50 am. Although the tanker was completely destroyed in the fire, no human injuries or fatalities were reported. Traffic resumed after the flames were extinguished. Police have taken the driver, 25-year-old Samir Gurung of Simara Sub-metropolitan City-11, Bara, into custody for questioning as part of an investigation into the incident.