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Jaipur, Nov 21 (IANS) A horrific accident took place on the Delhi-Mumbai Expressway in Rajasthan on Friday when a moving container exploded and caught fire after hitting an LED pole, burning the driver alive inside the cabin.
Police said the container lost control and hit the pillar with tremendous force, causing an explosion within seconds. The incident took place about one km before Dungarpur interchange in Rahuwas police station area of Dausa district.
The vehicle was reportedly on its way from Uttar Pradesh to Maharashtra when the driver is suspected to have fallen asleep while driving, causing the container to turn sharply and hit a pillar. Officials said that the container was air-conditioned, due to which the fire spread rapidly after the collision.
The driver became trapped in the cabin and died on the spot before help could arrive.
A fire brigade from Lalsot arrived immediately but the fire was so severe that it took about one and a half hours to completely control it. By the time the fire was extinguished, the container was reduced to ashes.
On receiving the information, Lalsot MLA Rambilas Meena, Additional SP Dinesh Aggarwal, DSP Deepak Kumar and Rahuwas police station officer Gopal Sharma reached the spot and took stock of the situation.
CCTV footage has also surfaced, which shows that the container was coming from Delhi and just moments before, there was a massive explosion and the vehicle caught fire.
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 people at high speed plunged into a ditch, killing all on board.
The incident has raised new concerns over speeding and the need to strictly enforce lane discipline on high-speed corridors.
According to officials, both accidents highlight recurring issues related to driver fatigue, high speed and long, uninterrupted stretches of expressways that often lead to loss of control.
–IANS
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