Jaipur: A horrific accident occurred on the Delhi-Mumbai Expressway in Rajasthan on Friday when a moving container exploded and caught fire after hitting an LED pole, leaving the driver burnt alive inside the cabin.
Police said the container lost control and rammed into the pole with tremendous force, triggering an explosion within seconds. The incident took place about one km before the Dungarpur interchange in the Rahuvas police station limits of Dausa district.
The vehicle was reportedly travelling from Uttar Pradesh to Maharashtra when the driver is suspected to have fallen asleep at the wheel, causing the container to swerve sharply and crash into the pole. Officials added that the container was air-conditioned, which accelerated the spread of the fire after the impact.
The driver was trapped inside the cabin and died on the spot before help could reach.
A fire brigade from Lalsot arrived promptly but the blaze was so intense that it took nearly one and a half hours to fully contain it. By the time the flames were doused, the container had been reduced to a charred shell.
Upon receiving information, Lalsot MLA Rambilas Meena, Additional SP Dinesh Agarwal, DSP Deepak Kumar, and Rahuvas Police Station Officer Gopal Sharma reached the spot to take stock of the situation.
CCTV footage has also surfaced, showing the container approaching from the Delhi side moments before a massive explosion erupts, engulfing the vehicle in flames.
Police said further investigation into the incident is underway.
The accident comes days after a fatal incident on another stretch of the Delhi-Mumbai Expressway, where an SUV carrying five persons fell into a ditch at a high speed, leaving all occupants dead.
The incident had triggered fresh concerns over rash driving and the need for stricter enforcement of lane discipline on the high-speed corridor.
According to officials, both accidents highlight recurring issues related to driver fatigue, over-speeding and long, uninterrupted stretches of the expressway that often lead to loss of control.
(IANS)
