Four people died after two trucks collided head-on and burst into flames on National Highway 16 near Boyapalem village in Andhra Pradesh’s Guntur district in the early hours of Wednesday, a senior police official said.
The accident occurred at around 6 am. The deceased were identified as drivers and cleaners for the two trucks.
“Their names and ages are yet to be ascertained as they were charred beyond recognition,” Guntur police superintendent Vakul Jindal told reporters.
Preliminary investigation revealed that a truck traveling from Chilakkaluripet towards Guntur hit the central divider, crossed into the opposite road and collided with another truck coming from the opposite direction towards Chilakkaluripet.
The impact of the collision caused a massive fire, which engulfed both vehicles within minutes. One of the trucks was transporting stones, while the other was carrying a shipment of paper, which caught fire immediately after the accident, causing the fire to break out and trapping the passengers inside.
“One of the vehicles hit the barrier, swerved and hit the truck from the opposite direction. It caught fire immediately,” SP Vakul Jindal said, adding that the bodies of the victims were trapped inside the charred vehicles.
Police, fire and emergency services rushed to the scene after receiving information. But the intensity of the fire hampered rescue operations, and it took several hours to recover bodies from the burning vehicles.
Police later confirmed that four people died after becoming trapped inside the burning trucks. A case was registered and an investigation was opened to determine why the vehicle crossed the central barrier.
On the other hand, firefighters extinguished the fire, and police regulated traffic on the highway, while carrying out rescue and disinfection operations.
“The identities of the deceased will be established after completion of recovery and identification procedures,” the SP added.
