Hoshiarpur, Aug. 23 -- A collision between an LPG tanker and a pickup truck on the Jalandhar-Hoshiarpur highway near Mandiala village on Friday night triggered a massive blast, killing two people and injuring over 50.

The sudden explosion around 10 pm engulfed nearby shops and residences, trapping villagers, many of them already asleep, leaving little time to escape.

Rescue teams from the fire department and police rushed the injured to civil hospitals across Adampur, Hoshiarpur and Jalandhar.

Villagers, shaken by the loud thud of the blast, scurried to save their lives as flames spread rapidly, fuelled by the LPG and wind. Relatives of the injured scrambled between hospitals to find their loved ones.

Eyewitnesses told police that the...