Two drivers burnt alive in Bahraich three-vehicle collision near Assam Chauraha

Police said the two drivers died in the fire and that the injured helper identified the deceased. The identity of the Punjab-registered truck driver remained unascertained, and authorities were attempting to contact the vehicle's owner at a listed mobile number and at an address in Punjab. The Lucknow-registered pickup was found damaged with no goods or occupants; three persons travelling in it reportedly fled the scene. The bodies were sent for postmortem examination as investigations continued.

On Sunday night, a Punjab-registered truck loaded with iron machinery, a Haryana-registered cement-laden trailer, and a Lucknow-registered pickup collided on the Bahraich bypass near Assam Chauraha. A massive fire erupted in the front sections of the truck and trailer, trapping the two drivers in their cabins, who were burnt alive. The injured helper identified the deceased. It took nearly three hours to extricate the bodies after the mangled vehicle parts were cut open with a machine. The pickup vehicle was found damaged with no goods or occupants, and locals said three persons travelling in it fled the scene shortly after the crash. The SHO stated that the Punjab truck driver's identity was not yet ascertained, and efforts to contact the vehicle's owner via mobile and at an address in Punjab were ongoing.