Punjab driver charred to death as tempo catches fire near Mumbai

According to the Palghar rural police, a tempo was in motion when a fire broke out, quickly engulfing the entire vehicle

A 28-year-old driver from Punjab was burnt to death and a cleaner sustained serious injuries after their tempo caught fire on the Mumbai-Ahmedabad highway in Maharashtra’s Palghar district, police said on Wednesday.

The intensity of the blaze was so severe that it killed the tempo driver, Jawan Singh, and gutted the materials being transported in the vehicle, a police official said. (iStock)

The incident occurred around 10.30 pm on Tuesday on the Gujarat-bound lane near Somta.

According to the Palghar rural police, a tempo was in motion when a fire broke out, quickly engulfing the entire vehicle.

“The intensity of the blaze was so severe that it killed the tempo driver, Jawan Singh, and gutted the materials being transported in the vehicle,” a police official said.

Cleaner Gurusewak Singh, 38, also a resident of Punjab, managed to escape the burning vehicle but sustained serious burns, he said.

“The injured cleaner was rushed to the sub-district hospital for treatment, while the driver’s body was sent to the government hospital for a post-mortem,” the Palghar rural police added.

The fire disrupted traffic on the busy highway for several hours as fire brigade personnel worked to douse the flames.