Man Walks 600m in Flames After Jaipur Tanker Blast, Bystanders Film Instead of Helping

Bystanders Film Instead of Helping: This is a very moving story from today's scene along the Jaipur - Ajmer highway, where an LPG tanker collided with a truck in what turned out to be a very costly event-the murder of fourteen people, incineration of thirty-seven vehicles with tales of horrific survival left behind. Motor mechanic Radheshyam Choudhary, 32, was one such survivor who managed to walk for almost 600 metres with flames surrounding him in search of help while the crowd filmed everything around him rather than helping him.

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Affiliated with National Bearings Company Ltd. in Jaipur, Radheshyam had that routine start an otherwise normal Friday early morning when he rode his bike from home to the office. A giant explosion caused by the tanker turned this routine day into one of nightmares for some. Internet is flooded with horrifying clips of a man, covered almost entirely in flames, fighting for his life while crying for help from the ranks of people thronging to witness his agony.

At about 5:50 in the morning, a call came from an unknown person to Akheram, his elder brother, asking him to rush to the Heerapura bus stand, and so he did, along with two neighbours. They ran towards the site and found his brother lying on the road. Bystanders told Akheram that Radheshyam had walked a considerable distance from the explosion site in hopes of finding help. "My brother was crying for help as he struggled down the road, but most bystanders simply recorded videos," Akheram told The Times of India.

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Knowing that an ambulance would take far too long, Akheram and the neighbours took Radheshyam to Sawai Man Singh Hospital in Jaipur. Radheshyam also struggled to stay awake during the journey. He recalled how the floor shook and flames swallowed everything. He desperately attempted to escape. He had even managed to recall his brother's phone number and share it with a stranger who called for help.

The medical staff of the hospital admitted Radheshyam, but he had about 85 percent burns and, therefore, had very little hope for survival. "We thought he would survive, but his chances were slim. It was a thread that snapped," Akheram said.

This incident sheds light, apart from everything else, towards the chaos created by the blast, loneliness, and, most importantly, indifference shown by bystanders who preferred clicking pics instead of lending a helping hand to a man who was fighting for life.

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