Driver burnt alive after car overturns, catches fire in Balaghat

Jabalpur: A 56-year-old man from Nagpur was charred to death after a car he was driving overturned and caught fire in Balaghat district on Tuesday.

Police said the accident occurred between 4 am and 5 am on the Balaghat-Mandla road near Kharra village when the vehicle was returning to Nagpur after dropping a patient in Santaritola village near Parsawada.

Preliminary investigation suggests the vehicle was being driven at high speed and may have overturned after the driver possibly lost control or dozed off at the wheel.

Officials said the car skidded for a considerable distance before crashing into a tree and bursting into flames. Passers-by noticed the burning vehicle and alerted police, but by the time help arrived, the driver was trapped inside and was burnt alive.

During investigation, police identified the deceased as Michael Antune Morris, a resident of Kaushalya Nagar in Nagpur, through a mobile phone number found at the scene. Police have informed the victim’s family and sent the body for post-mortem examination.