5 charred to death as moving car catches fire on Delhi-Mumbai expressway

ALWAR: At least five people were charred to death and another sustained critical injuries after a moving car caught fire on the Delhi-Mumbai Expressway in Alwar district of Rajasthan, police said on Thursday. The incident occurred near Maujpur on Wednesday night when the victims were returning from a pilgrimage to Vaishno Devi, accoridng to news agency PTI. Additional superintendent of police Priyanka Raghuvanshi said fire tenders were rushed to the spot and the blaze was brought under control in 15 minutes, but by then the car had been completely gutted. The deceased included three women, a minor girl and a man. All of them were residents of Sheopur district in Madhya Pradesh. DSP Kailash Jindal said a short circuit is suspected to have triggered the blaze. As it was a CNG vehicle, the fire spread rapidly, leaving the occupants with little time to escape."Only skeletal remains were recovered from the vehicle, which have been preserved separately. DNA tests will be conducted to establish their identity," he said. The driver of the car, identified as Vinod Kumar Mehar, managed to jump out of the vehicle but suffered around 80 per cent burn injuries. He was first taken to a nearby health centre and later referred to Jaipur for advanced treatment, officials said.