2 burnt alive as trucks catch fire after collision

Lucknow: Two persons were burnt alive and two others sustained critical injuries after a speeding trailer truck rammed into a truck carrying poultry feed on the Lucknow–Sultanpur highway near Chaubisi late on Tuesday night, police said.According to the police, the trailer collided with the rear of the truck, triggering a massive fire that engulfed both vehicles within minutes. Four persons, including the driver, were travelling in the trailer at the time of the accident.The impact led to an immediate blaze, trapping two occupants inside the cabin. They were charred to death on the spot, with their bodies burnt beyond recognition, the police said. Teams from the police and fire department rushed to the spot and began rescue and firefighting operations. Two injured victims were pulled out of the wreckage and shifted to a hospital.One of them, identified as Manoj Kumar (40), a resident of Nayakheda village in Nigohan area of Lucknow, suffered severe burns and was initially taken to a community health centre before being referred to Lucknow for advanced treatment. The condition of the second injured person is also stated to be critical.In a grim discovery, one of the bodies was recovered nearly six hours later during cooling and clearance operations, buried under the poultry feed loaded in the truck.Station house officer of Haidergarh Anil Kumar Pandey said the deceased could not be identified due to extensive burn injuries. “The bodies have been sent for post-mortem examination and efforts are on to establish their identity,” he said. The accident led to disruption of traffic on the busy highway for nearly an hour before normal movement was restored after the damaged vehicles were cleared.The police said a case is being examined to ascertain the exact cause of the collision, with initial indications pointing to high speed and possible negligence.