A gas leakage from a CNG delivery vehicle triggered panic on the Perambra bypass on Wednesday. The truck was on its way from the CNG station at Ekarool to a petrol pump at Kuttiadi. Meanwhile, gas was emitted from one of the valves on the joint pipe which connected the cylinders.

An auto driver noticed this and informed the police control room. The fire force was also alerted who reached the spot and plugged the leakage. "There were 40 cylinders in the truck, all were connected to each other through a pipe. Leakage was spotted in one of three main valves," said truck driver Sreevalsan.

Two units of fire engines from the Perambra station led by station officer C P Gireeshan arrived at the scene. "The joint of the valve was damaged, which led to the gas leakage. We had to close each cylinder valve to control the leakage. Before that, we cooled each of the cylinders by pumping water," said a rescue officer.