A spiritual journey ended on a devastating note after five people returning from the Vaishno Devi shrine were charred to death, as their moving car caught fire on the Delhi-Mumbai Expressway in Rajasthan’s Alwar district on the intervening night of Wednesday-Thursday. The incident, as per police, occurred near Maujpur. The police said that the inferno spread with alarming speed, leaving no room for the car’s occupants to escape.

Vehicle reduced to ashes

Authorities said that three women, a minor girl and a man were among the ones who died. All of them hailed from the Sheopur district. Deputy Superintendent of Police Kailash Jindal said that a short circuit is being suspected to be the reason behind the blaze. He added that the car was being run on Compressed Natural Gas (CNG), which intensified the fire. Meanwhile, the Additional Superintendent of Police, Priyanka Raghuvanshi said that fire tenders had rushed to the scene promptly, and put out the fire within 15 minutes. However, the vehicle had completely gutted by then.

Driver battling for life; DNA tests ordered

The driver of the vehicle, identified as Vinod Kumar Mehar, managed to leap out of the burning vehicle, but sustained burns up to 80%. He was initially rushed to a nearby health centre, but was later referred to Jaipur for specialised treatment, where his condition is said to be critical. Officials added that only skeletal remains were recovered from the car, complicating the identification process of the deceased. Deputy SP Jindal said, “The remains have been preserved separately, and DNA tests will be carried out to confirm the identities of the deceased.”

Probe underway into cause behind fire

Police said they have launched an in-depth probe to ascertain the precise cause behind the fire, and to reconstruct the sequence of the events leading to the fatal incident.

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