At four people lost their lives after a car in which they were travelling collided with a trailer in Rajasthan's Barmer district on the intervening night of Wednesday and Thursday. The accident, according to officials, also left one person critically injured.
The accident took place at 1.30 am on Wednesday on the mega highway near the Sada village which comes under the jurisdiction of the Sindhari Police Station. The collision was so powerful that it caused a fire in which four people who were inside the car were charred to death.
Following the incident, the police arrived at the site and fire was doused. The injured was later shifted to a hospital in Jodhpur.
According to the police, the deceased have been identified as Mohan Singh, Shambhu Singh, Pancha Ram Dewasi, and Prakash Meghwal. They were the resident of the Dabar village, which comes under the jurisdiction of the Gudamalani Police Station.
Because of the fire, it has become difficult for the officials to identify the bodies of the deceased, the police said, adding that it has collected their DNA samples. The police have also registered a case and an investigation is underway.
"The remains will be handed over to the families after confirmation," Deputy Superintendent of Police (Siwana) Neeraj Sharma was quoted as saying by news agency PTI.
This accident comes days after a bus that was travelling from Jaisalmer to Jodhpur caught fire, claiming the lives of 21 people. The bus, officials said, was carrying 57 people when suddenly smoke began emanating from the vehicle's rear portion.
Later, Prime Minister Narendra Modi, President Droupadi Murmu, Vice President CP Radhakrishnan and Chief Minister Bhajanlal Sharma expressed grief over the incident. PM Modi also announced an ex gratia of Rs 2 lakh for the kin of the deceased.
