Over 100 sheep crushed to death by speeding oil tanker in Udaipur

A herd of sheep crossing the highway was hit by an oil tanker on Udaipur-Pindwara Highway. More than 100 sheep died on the spot. Passers-by started collecting oil from the overturned tanker.

Udaipur:More than 100 sheep were crushed to death by a speeding oil tanker on Udaipur-Pindwara Highway in the Gogunda police station area in Udaipur on Sunday, police said.

The tanker carried mustard oil and people were seen stealing the oil that had spilled on the road after the vehicle overturned. Gogunda police station officer Shaitan Singh said that the matter is being investigated.

According to police, the driver of the tanker lost control over the wheels and the vehicle overturned after hitting a herd of sheep that was crossing the road. After the tanker overturned, oil was spilled across the highway. Villagers who were passing by the highway rushed towards the vehicle and started collecting oil that was flowing out of the overturned tanker. People collected oil in whatever container they could find. Following the accident, there was a long traffic congestion along the stretch of highway.

On getting information about the accident, a team from the local police station reached the spot. Efforts were taken to remove the animal carcasses from the road while vehicles kept lined up on both sides of the highway. Finally, the highway was cleared and traffic restored.

"Prima facie it seems that the accident occurred after the tanker lost control and hit the animals while they were crossing the highway. Suddenly, the tanker overturned and oil spilled out from the vehicle. Several people started running to the spot with buckets and containers to collect the oil. A probe has been initiated into the matter. A case has been filed against the driver of the tanker," an official of Gogunda police station said.