Jaipur, April 30: Five people were burnt alive and another was seriously injured when a car caught fire on the Delhi-Mumbai Expressway in Rajasthan’s Alwar district, police said on Thursday.
The gruesome incident took place near Maujpur on Wednesday night and the deceased were said to be returning from a Vaishno Devi pilgrimage.
Firefighters rushed to the spot and brought the fire under control within 15 minutes, but by then the car was completely burnt, said Additional Superintendent of Police Priyanka Raghuvanshi.
Three women, a minor girl and a man died in the horrific accident. All of them are residents of Sheopur district of Madhya Pradesh, the official said.
Deputy Superintendent of Police Kailash Jindal said it is suspected that the car caught fire due to a short circuit.
Since it was a CNG vehicle, the fire spread quickly, leaving the occupants of the car unable to escape, he said.
“Only skeletal remains have been recovered from the vehicle, which have been preserved separately. DNA testing will be conducted to identify them,” he said.
The driver of the car, identified as Vinod Kumar Mehar, managed to jump out of the vehicle. But he suffered about 80 per cent burns. He was initially taken to a nearby health centre and later sent to Jaipur for further treatment, officials said.