Co-driver burnt alive, driver escapes as Leh-bound truck catches fire in Kathua

A case under sections 279 and 304-A was registered against the driver, who absconded after the mishap

A co-driver of a truck ferrying confectionary to Leh was charred to death after the vehicle caught fire at Rajbagh on the Jammu-Pathankot national highway in Kathua district on the intervening night of September 18 and 19. The incident occurred around 2 am.

Representational image.

The identity of the deceased was yet to be ascertained.

Kathua SSP, RC Kotwal said, “The truck ferrying biscuits and wafers besides confectionary to Leh, hit a parked truck on the highway at Rajbagh around 1.30 or 2 am. It appears the driver might have slept causing the accident. The Leh-bound truck caught fire upon impact. While the driver jumped out of the truck and fled from the spot, his co-driver got stuck in the cabin. A fire that erupted, quickly engulfed the cabin burning the co-driver before he could rescue himself,” the SSP said.

A fire tender reached the spot and brought the fire under control, but it was too late to save the man, he said, adding a detailed investigation was being conducted.

Rajbagh SHO inspector Amit Sangra said, “The truck had originated from Sonepat. After the mishap, we contacted the owners and informed them about the incident. The transport company owners informed us that since it was a long drive to Leh from Sonepat, they had sent two drivers to drive the vehicle in shifts.”

They will inform us about the identity of the two drivers, he added.

Sangra said that a case under sections 279 and 304-A was registered against the driver, who absconded after the mishap.