Three people were killed while three others got critically injured after the car they were travelling in crashed into a transformer near Oel town in Uttar Pradesh’s Lakhimpur Kheri district in the early hours of Monday, police said.
The car crossed the footpath, entered a field and crashed into a transformer installed there. The collision caused electrical wires to break and fall onto the car, triggering sparks and a fire. The six occupants were trapped inside the vehicle. The fire was brought under control by authorities after some time, but by then a large portion of the car had been gutted. Ayush Kumar, a resident of Shiv Colony, died at the spot after being burnt alive. All five injured men were taken to hospital, where two succumbed to their injuries during treatment. Police identified one of the deceased as Akash Verma, a resident of Pipariya Bypass. The identity of the other deceased is being verified.
The accident took place around 2:30am in the Kheri police station area, about 8km from the district headquarters.
The collision was so intense that it sounded like an explosion, according to local residents. Police said the group was travelling towards Sitapur in a car when the vehicle went out of control near Oel. His body was found stuck to the driver’s seat, police said.
Officials said the exact cause of the accident would be established only after an investigation.
