Three burnt alive in fiery highway crash near Guntur; stranded truck suspected to have triggered mishap

Vijayawada: Three people were burnt alive after two trucks collided with each other and burst into flames near Boyapalem village on the Guntur-Chilakaluripet national highway early Wednesday.Preliminary investigation suggests that the mishap may have been triggered by a truck that came to a halt on the highway after reportedly running out of diesel. Investigators suspect that no warning signs or reflective triangles were placed to alert motorists on the highway.A granite-laden truck, headed towards Guntur from Chilakaluripet, reportedly noticed the stranded truck only at the last moment. Its driver tried to avoid hitting it by swerving sharply, but lost control of the vehicle, thereby crashing into the median, crossing onto the opposite carriageway, and colliding with an oncoming truck.The impact of the crash ruptured the fuel tanks of both trucks, triggering a massive blaze that engulfed the vehicles in no time. The victims were trapped inside the cabins and were charred to death, police said.Police identified the deceased as Mekala Ravi Kumar (35), the driver of the granite truck from Nandyal district; Ramesh, the cleaner of the same truck; and Dharmapathi (26), the driver of the other truck from Kolar district in Karnataka.

Eyewitnesses described the accident as terrifying, with flames rising several metres high and rescue efforts proving impossible because of the intensity of the fire. Police have registered a case and launched an investigation to determine the sequence of events. Officials are also examining whether negligence in leaving the stranded truck on the highway without adequate warning signs contributed to the fatal crash.