Four people were charred to death after two lorries collided head-on and caught fire on National Highway 16 (NH-16) near Boyapalem village in Andhra Pradesh’s Guntur district in the early hours of Wednesday, police said.
The accident occurred at around 6 am. The four deceased include two drivers and two cleaners of the lorries, but police are yet to identify them.
“We are yet to ascertain their names and ages. All four were charred beyond recognition,” Guntur district superintendent of police Vakul Jindal said.
Police said that, according to preliminary investigations, one of the lorries, travelling from Chilakaluripet towards Guntur, hit the divider and crossed over to the other side before ramming into another lorry coming from the opposite direction towards Chilakaluripet.
The collision triggered a massive fire, engulfing both vehicles within minutes. One of the lorries was transporting stones, while the other was carrying a consignment of paper, which caught fire immediately after the crash.
“The victims were trapped inside the vehicles and could not escape,” Jindal said.
{{/usCountry}}“The victims were trapped inside the vehicles and could not escape,” Jindal said.
{{/usCountry}}Police teams and fire and emergency services personnel were sent to the accident site soon after receiving information. However, the intensity of the fire made rescue operations difficult, with authorities taking several hours to recover the bodies from the burnt vehicles.
A case has been registered and an investigation has been launched to determine what caused the lorry to cross the central divider.
Meanwhile, fire personnel extinguished the blaze and police regulated traffic on the highway.