Two drivers were charred to death and another person was seriously injured in a multiple-vehicle collision near Assam Chauraha area here, police said on Monday.
A Punjab-registered truck loaded with iron machinery, a Haryana-registered cement-laden trailer and a Lucknow-registered pickup vehicle collided with each other on the Bahraich bypass on Sunday night.
Following the collision, a massive fire broke out in the front portions of the truck and the trailer. Both drivers got trapped inside their cabins and were burnt alive, police added.
It took nearly three hours to extricate the bodies as the mangled vehicle parts had to be cut open using a machine.
Station House Officer of Dargah Shareef police station said the deceased driver of the Haryana-registered trailer has been identified as Jeetlal Yadav (55), a resident of Prayagraj. His helper sustained serious injuries and is undergoing treatment.
It was the injured helper who identified the deceased.
The SHO said the identity of the driver of the Punjab-registered truck is yet to be ascertained.
Efforts were made to contact the registered owner of the vehicle on the listed mobile number, but there was no response.
Police are also trying to establish contact at the owner’s address in Punjab. According to police, the Lucknow-registered pickup vehicle was also found damaged at the spot, but no goods or occupants were found in it.
Locals informed police that three persons travelling in the pickup fled the scene shortly after the accident.
The officer said the front portions of both the truck and the trailer were badly damaged, with their cabins completely destroyed in the fire.
The bodies have been sent for postmortem examination and further investigation is underway, police said.