Four people were charred to death after two lorries collided head-on and caught fire on National Highway-16 near Boyapalem village in Andhra Pradesh’s Guntur district in the early hours of Wednesday, a senior police official said.
The accident occurred at around 6 am. The deceased were identified as the drivers and cleaners of the two lorries.
“Their names and ages have not yet been ascertained as they were charred beyond recognition,” Guntur superintendent of police Vakul Jindal told reporters.
Preliminary investigation revealed that a lorry travelling from Chilakaluripet towards Guntur hit the central divider, crossed over to the opposite carriageway and rammed into another lorry coming from the opposite direction towards Chilakaluripet.
The impact of 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, intensifying the blaze and trapping the occupants inside.
“One vehicle hit the divider, veered across and hit the lorry from the opposite direction. It caught fire immediately,” SP Vakul Jindal said, adding that the bodies of the victims were trapped inside the charred vehicles.
{{/usCountry}}“One vehicle hit the divider, veered across and hit the lorry from the opposite direction. It caught fire immediately,” SP Vakul Jindal said, adding that the bodies of the victims were trapped inside the charred vehicles.
{{/usCountry}}Police and fire and emergency services rushed to the spot after receiving information. However, the intensity of the fire hampered rescue operations, and it took several hours to recover the bodies from the burnt vehicles.
Police later confirmed that four people had died after being trapped inside the burning lorries. A case has been registered and an investigation launched to ascertain what caused the vehicle to cross the central divider.
Meanwhile, fire personnel extinguished the blaze and the police regulated traffic on the highway while rescue and clearance operations were carried out.
“The identities of the deceased would be established after the completion of recovery and identification procedures,” the SP added.