Truck driver burns to death on Delhi-Jaipur expressway

Police said Dharam jumped out when the fire erupted, while Vikas remained trapped for several minutes before being rescued by police personnel. Yogesh, however, was trapped inside the cabin, which was engulfed in flames

A dumper truck driver was burnt to death and two helpers critically injured after their vehicle collided with another truck and caught fire on the Delhi-Jaipur expressway near Rathiwas around 1.30am on Friday, police said.

Firefighters recovered Yogesh’s charred remains after extinguishing the flames. (HT)

The deceased was identified as Yogesh Kumar, 25, from Kotputli in Rajasthan. His colleagues, Vikas Kumar, 19, and Dharam Singh, 27, sustained critical injuries.

Police said Dharam jumped out when the fire erupted, while Vikas remained trapped for several minutes before being rescued by police personnel. Yogesh, however, was trapped inside the cabin, which was engulfed in flames. Traffic remained disrupted for nearly an hour.

Investigators said the dumper truck loaded with tar-mixed gravel rammed the truck carrying several tonnes of tiles after its driver allegedly slowed down suddenly on a slope. Yogesh was unable to stop despite hitting the brakes, resulting in the collision and fire. The other truck driver fled the spot, police said.

Firefighters recovered Yogesh’s charred remains after extinguishing the flames.

In another accident, Mohammad Sohrab, 65, and his wife Khatija, 60, were run over by a container truck on Tauru Road near Tikona Park in Sohna around 1.30pm on Friday.

The couple, residents of Korali village in Rojka Meo, Nuh, were returning home on a motorcycle after shopping in Sohna when a speeding 16-wheel container truck allegedly hit their vehicle. Both fell on the road and were run over, police said. The driver abandoned the truck and fled on foot.

Gurugram police spokesperson Sandeep Turan said residents alerted the police, following which emergency response teams and ambulances reached the spot. The couple were taken to Sohna government hospital, where doctors declared them dead.

“On complaint of Sohrab’s brother Mohammad Nasruddin, an FIR was registered against the unidentified truck driver under sections 106 and 281 of BNS at City Sohna police station on Friday,” he said.