Eight burnt alive after collision of car with dumper in UP

BAREILLY: In a horrific incident, eight persons were charred to death when their car caught fire after a head-on collision with a dumper truck on the Nainital highway in Uttar Pradesh’s Bareilly district on Saturday night.
Passengers were on their way home from a wedding when their car collided with a sand-laden dumper that was coming from Uttarakhand.
“The rented car was speeding and one of its tyres burst. The driver lost control of steering and it veered towards the other lane, and collided with the dumper. Both vehicles caught fire. The central locking system malfunctioned and the passengers couldn’t get out,” The incident took place near Dabhora in Bhojipura area,” Bareilly SSP, Sushil Chandrabhan Ghule, said.
Mohd Rizwan, an eyewitness, said, “A massive ball of fire engulfed the entire car immediately after the collision. We rushed to help but all the doors were locked from inside. We could hear the passengers screaming for help. By the time we smashed open a window, they were dead. We had to step back as the car’s fuel tank could have exploded… It was a terrible sight.”
A senior police officer added, “The bodies of three victims were identified. The remaining were charred beyond recognition and DNA tests may be required. A minor was among the dead. The victims, were cousins and friends, belonged to Bahedi.”
Locals said Mohd Furqan (25), a resident of Jam village near Bahedi, had gone to Bareilly city to attend a relative’s wedding.
At 10.45pm, inspector Jagat Singh of Bhojipura police station received a distress call. He told TOI: “By the time we reached the place, the car’s occupants were already dead. It was a CNG variant car and witnesses said initially there were sparks in engine. We traced the dumper driver, Vinod Kumar. He suffered a fracture and is in our custody, recovering in hospital.”