Ahmedabad: 1 killed as car catches fire, falls into pit

A 50-year-old man from Dhandhuka succumbed to burn injuries on Friday after the car he was driving turned turtle and fell into a pit near Umargadh Patia in Dholka.

An FIR filed with Dhandhuka police identified the deceased as Siddiq Khalifa, a resident of Padana village. He was on his way to a wedding in Dholka with his employee Jaydeep Vasukia, 20, when the accident occurred. As the vehicle approached a sharp turn near Umargadh Patia, Khalifa lost control over the steering wheel.

The car dragged on for a few metres and rammed into the trees, before it caught fire, overturned and fell into a roadside pit. Vasukia had a narrow escape as he got thrown out of the vehicle when it turned turtle.

The car got stuck vertically in the pit and went up in flames. Vasukia kept screaming for help for about half an hour before locals came to their rescue.

Both Khalifa and Vasukia were taken to a nearby hospital. However, since Khalifa had suffered severe burn injuries, he was referred to Ahmedabad Civil Hospital. But he died in the ambulance en route to the hospital. His body was then taken to a hospital in Dhandhuka for post-mortem.

Dhandhuka police registered a complaint of negligent driving leading to death against Khalifa and began investigation.