Twenty people were injured, three of them seriously, when a gas tanker collided with a car and caught fire at Puthantheruvu near Kollam, Kerala, early on Thursday.
Authorities have evacuated people in the vicinity fearing an explosion in the fully loaded gas tanker.
Most of the injured were either policemen or the local people helping with the efforts to douse the fire, which continues to rage, officials said.
The injured also included four persons travelling in the car.