Mini truck catches fire after explosion near Ludhiana, driver burnt alive

A mini truck collided with a divider on the flyover near Bhai Wala Chowk and caught fire with a loud explosion on Friday night, leaving the driver burnt alive.

The deceased has been identified as Bhushan Kumar (40), a resident of Jammu. He had come to Ludhiana only four days ago. The truck was loaded with medicines, warm clothes and other items from Transport Nagar and he had left to deliver the consignment.

Preliminary investigations suggest that the driver may have dozed off, causing the truck to lose control and hit a divider. The impact is believed to have caused the CNG tank to explode and catch fire. Two fire engines were rushed to the scene upon receiving the information.

According to officials, the mini truck was travelling from Bharat Nagar Chowk towards MBD Mall when it suddenly rammed into the divider and went up in after the explosion.

The incident occurred at 10:15 pm.

Fire officer Rajinder Kumar said the fire brigade reached the spot promptly and brought the blaze under control. Firefighters ensured that the flames did not spread further. After the cabin cooled down, the driver’s charred body was recovered from inside.

An investigation into the incident is underway.