Five Dead as Car Catches Fire on Delhi-Mumbai Expressway in Rajasthan

New Delhi: A major accident occurred on Thursday on the Delhi-Mumbai Expressway in Rajasthan's Alwar district. Five people were charred to death and another was critically injured after a moving car suddenly caught fire. According to reports the victims were returning from a pilgrimage to Vaishno Devi when the accident occurred. 

When did the accident happen?

According to reports, the incident occurred near Maujur in Rajasthan's Alwar district on intervening night of Wednesday and Thursday.

According to police, the accident happened around 1 am on the Delhi-Mumbai Expressway, near pillar number 115/300 near Maujpur. The car was traveling from Delhi to Kota when it suddenly caught fire, engulfing the entire vehicle within minutes. 

What did the police say?

According to Additional Superintendent pf Police, Priyanka Raghuvanshi, the fire tenders were rushed to the spot and the blaze was brought under control in about 15 minutes, but by that time the car was completely gutted.  

The police said that three women, a minor girl and a man, residents of Sheopur district in Madhya Pradesh, were among those killed in the incident. The driver of the car, who is identified as Vinod Kumar Mehar, managed to escape out of the burning vehicle but has suffered around 80 per cent burn injuries. 

As per Deputy Superintendent of Police Kailash Jindal, a short circuit is suspected to be the cause of blaze. As it was a CNG vehicle, the fire intensified quickly.

"Only skeletal remains were recovered from the vehicle, which have been preserved separately. DNA tests will be conducted to establish their identity," Jindal said.