2 die as car catches fire after crash with truck

Gaya: Two people were burned alive and another suffered critical injuries after a car caught fire following a collision with a fertiliser-laden truck on the Dobhi-Patna four-lane highway near Sijua Mor in Bodh Gaya in the early hours of Thursday. Police recovered empty liquor bottles from the car.The accident occurred around 1.30am under Bodh Gaya police station. The impact of the collision was so severe that the car burst into flames, trapping its occupants. The bodies were sent to Anugrah Narayan Magadh Medical College and Hospital for postmortem.The injured, Rishabh Kumar of Vaishali district, managed to escape from the car and was referred to Patna in a critical condition. One of the deceased was identified as Ayushman Kumar of Ranchi.

The car was travelling from Jharkhand.Bodh Gaya SHO Manoj Kumar Singh said, “Investigation is being conducted to ascertain details about the deceased and the situation that led to the mishap. Fire fighting vehicle was rushed to the spot to douse the fire. The ill-fated vehicles were removed from the main road with the help of crane to ensure movement of vehicles on the four lane.”Preliminary investigation revealed that the truck was entering the highway from an approach road in the wrong direction when the speeding car rammed its diesel tank, triggering the blaze. The truck driver and helper fled and police are searching for them.