Car rams van with a flat tyre on DME, 2 men and pet dog die in Ghaziabad
Ghaziabad: A car crashed into a van whose driver had pulled over on Delhi-Meerut Expressway to change a flat tyre on Tuesday afternoon, claiming three lives, including one of a pet dog in one of the vehicles. Three others are battling critical injuries at a private Noida hospital.
The accident occurred near ABES College around 1.30pm, when a Maruti Eeco (DL14CD-8860) — a commercial vehicle carrying seven passengers from Amroha to Anand Vihar — had a flat tyre. While most passengers sought alternative transportation, the driver remained behind to change the tyre with one person still inside the van. He was working underneath the stationary vehicle on one side of the speedway when tragedy struck.
A Celerio (HR51 BZ-2159) — driven by a Faridabad-based businessman Shiv Kumar (62) — was returning from a wedding in Meerut with his wife Sunita (54) and daughter Babita (28) when it crashed into the parked Eeco. The impact caused both vehicles to go up in flames, creating a deadly trap for those inside.
The Eeco driver, caught underneath his vehicle during the tyre change, and the passenger sitting inside succumbed to their injuries. Till late on Tuesday evening, police were still trying to establish the identities of the two.
Priyashri Pal, ACP (Wave City), said that passersby managed to rescue the Kumar family from the burning Celerio car, but their pet dog remained trapped inside.
"The Eeco driver died on the spot from severe burn injuries. The passenger was taken to a nearby hospital, where he was declared dead on arrival," the ACP said.
Chief fire officer (CFO) Rahul Pal said his department received an alert about the burning vehicles around 1.30pm. "A team of fire fighters was dispatched to the spot immediately. The flames were brought under control in 30 minutes, but not before consuming all personal belongings, documents, and other contents in both the vehicles," he added.
While some sources suggested that wads of notes worth Rs 1 lakh were destroyed in the fire, ACP Pal denied the claim.
The accident caused significant traffic disruption on the Delhi-bound carriageway of the DME for around 45 minutes. Traffic police personnel halted vehicles until the flames were fully contained.
The Eeco's ownership was traced to Vijay Pal — a resident of Patparganj in Delhi — though it was not immediately clear if he was the driver at the time of the incident. Doctors attending to the Kumar family said they were still critical.
No formal police complaint had been lodged in the matter till late on Tuesday evening.
"We are actively working to identify the deceased," ACP Pal said.
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