The couple, along with four others, were heading towards the hospital as Reesha had complained of labour pain, the police said.
Published Feb 02, 2023 | 5:24 PM ⚊ Updated Feb 03, 2023 | 2:44 PM
The incident occurred near the district government hospital in Kannur on Thursday, 2 February, 2023. (Representational image/Creative Commons)
In a tragic incident, a pregnant woman and her husband were charred to death when the car they were travelling in caught fire.
The incident occurred near the district government hospital in Kannur on Thursday, 2 February, the police said.
The victims have been identified as Prijith (35) and his wife Reesha (26), hailing from Kuttiattoor in the Kannur district.
The couple, along with four others, were heading towards the hospital as Reesha had complained of labour pain, the police said.
Fire and rescue officials rushed to the accident site and extinguished the fire. However, by the time they could pull Prijith and Reesha out, they were already dead.
The four co-passengers, including a child, sitting in the back seat were able to escape when the vehicle caught fire. They have been shifted to the hospital, the police added.
“They are not injured. They are in the hospital and they are getting checked,” Kannur city police commissioner Ajit Kumar told reporters, after visiting the accident site.
“It appears that the victims were trapped inside the burning car — a 2020-model Maruti S-Presso — as they could not open the front doors,” the commissioner said.
According to locals, they tried to open the car doors and rescue the couple, but they failed.
TV footage showed locals near the spot running towards the burning car in an attempt to rescue the hapless couple.
“We were totally helpless at that time as the front of the car was immediately engulfed in fire. We could not do much to save them as we feared that the oil tank will explode at any time,” an eyewitness told reporters.
Technical experts are yet to examine the car to ascertain how it caught fire. “The car will be properly examined with the help of experts. Let us investigate a little more and then we will be able to get a clear picture,” the police said.
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