Two killed as van overturns, goes up in flames on Delhi-Meerut Expressway

Police said they are trying to ascertain the exact reason for the accident by speaking with the injured persons and checking the footage of the CCTV cameras in the area. There is also no information so far regarding the scooty and its rider.

A man and a woman died and four people were injured when a van overturned and caught fire on the Delhi-Meerut Expressway near Masuri on Wednesday, police said, adding that according to their preliminary investigation, the driver lost control of the vehicle while trying to avoid ramming a scooty.

Police personnel at the accident site on the Delhi Meerut Expressway in Ghaziabad on Wednesday, May 25, 2022. (Sakib Ali/HT photo)

According to the police, the incident took place near Noorpur under the jurisdiction of the Masuri police station in Ghaziabad. “There were six people travelling in the van, which was headed towards Delhi. They were scheduled to take a train to Nagpur. Prima facie, it appears that the driver tried to avoid ramming a scooty and lost control of the vehicle. It skidded and overturned, and its CNG cylinder caught fire. Two of the passengers were charred to death and three others were severely injured. The sixth person survived with minor injuries,” said Iraj Raja, superintendent of police (SP rural).

“When the accident took place, local commuters rushed to help. In the meantime, the highway patrol and police vans arrived and doused the fire with the help of the fire department. Three of the severely injured persons were admitted to a private hospital where they are stated to be stable,” he said.

Police said all the passengers are related to each other and are residents of Haridwar, Uttarakhand. They identified the deceased persons as Savita Prasad, 22, and Chandra Prakash, 35. The three severely injured passengers were identified as Anuj Kumar, 22, Nisha Singh, 17, and Avdhesh Prasad, 30. The sixth person’s identity was withheld.

Police said they are trying to ascertain the exact reason for the accident by speaking with the injured persons and checking the footage of the CCTV cameras in the area. There is also no information so far regarding the scooty and its rider.

The Delhi-Meerut Expressway is a 32km-long, six-lane access-controlled project that links Dasna in Ghaziabad to the Kashi toll plaza in Meerut.

The National Highways Authority of India has disallowed the plying of two-wheelers on the expressway, but the rules are largely flouted.

“The traffic police conduct routine drives and checks to prevent two-wheelers from entering the expressway. However, some two-wheeler drivers enter the lanes. Apart from police enforcement alone, toll plaza officials should also stop such vehicles from entering the expressway,” a police officer said.