Shahbad car fire: Now, CU assistant professor’s mother succumbs

Three people, including Sandeep and his two daughters, were killed after the car they were travelling in caught fire on the NH-44 in Kurukshetra’s Shahabad during the intervening night of November 2 and November 3

The fifth surviving member of the deadly car fire tragedy, mother of deceased Chandigarh University professor Sandeep Kumar, too succumbed to her injuries at the Postgraduate Institute for Research and Medical Research (PGIMER) on Thursday.

With the death of victim Sandeep Kumar’s mother, the accident’s toll has reached five. (HT Photo)

A pall of gloom descended on the victims’ Sector 7 residence as the news of the matriarch’s death broke.

Sushil, brother of deceased Sandeep, saw the fifth death in a span of 11 days with their mother Sudesh, 53, breathing her last.

Apart from his brother, Sushil has lost his two nieces, aged 8 and 5, and sister-in-law Laxmi, who died on November 10. Sandeep and his two daughters were killed after the car they were travelling in caught fire on the NH-44 in Kurukshetra’s Shahabad on the intervening night between November 2 and November 3.

“A mysterious ball of fire erupted from the rear of the car. It came through the ceiling to the front and then went out on its own. What followed was smoke and fumes. I immediately opened the car and everyone came out. However, my niece and sister-in-law were already unconscious while my brother was still talking at the time. We were all rushed to a hospital,” said Sushil, who was driving the family’s Maruti Suzuki Ertiga car on the day of the mishap.

“I am still not able to fathom what happened. I have lost my mother, my brother and his entire family. It all happened so suddenly,” Sushil added.

While Sandeep and his two daughters had succumbed to their injuries on the day of the mishap, his wife Laxmi passed away on Wednesday owing to her injuries.

The two minor girls studied in Sacred Heart Senior Secondary School, Sector 26.