Woman, son charred to death as car catches fire after crash

CHHATRAPATI SAMBHAJINAGAR: A 45-year-old woman and her 25-year-old son were charred to death as their car caught fire after a truck collided head-on with their four-wheeler at Kapsi Phata in Ashti taluka of Beed district on Friday afternoon.According to the police, the speeding truck had collided head-on with the car that immediately caught fire. The deceased have been identified as Pushpa Shrihari Puri and her son Rishikesh, residents of Salegaon in Kej taluka.Rishikesh had recently completed his Chartered Accountant studies and was set to begin his professional career. The victims are the wife and son of Shrihari Puri Maharaj, a gram sevak with Ashti panchayat samiti and a well-known kirtankar.At the time of the incident, he was attending a kirtan programme in a nearby village. "The duo was travelling from Ashti towards Beed for some personal work when the accident occurred. Eyewitnesses said the tipper truck, coming from the opposite direction at a high speed, rammed into the car with tremendous force. The impact crushed the vehicle and it went up in flames, trapping the occupants inside," a police officer said.The intensity of the fire was such that the victims did not get any chance to escape. Local residents rushed to the spot and tried to help, but were unable to approach the vehicle due to the raging blaze.Police and fire brigade personnel reached the spot soon after being alerted. However, it took around two hours of continuous efforts, including cutting through the mangled metal and dousing the flames, to retrieve the bodies from the car.The accident has sent shockwaves across Beed district, with many expressing grief over the loss. Police have registered a case against the driver of the tipper truck for rash and negligent driving, and causing death due to negligence.