Chennai: In an unfortunate incident near Poonamalle, a lorry driver was charred to death when the construction material-laden lorry caught fire, around midnight on Saturday. The victim has been identified as Ramesh (23) of Muthumariamman Koil Street, Kovur near Kundrathur.
According to police sources, Ramesh had tried to overtake another lorry carrying an earth mover on Tambaram - Red Hills road near West Manambakkam.
“But Ramesh lost control of the lorry and he rammed from behind the lorry he had tried to overtake. The impact toppled the lorry,” a source said.
The crack in fuel tank had resulted in a fire and Ramesh was trapped inside. “As the fire had spread fast, Ramesh could not be saved and he died on the spot. However, passengers in the earth mover laden lorry escaped the incident,” the police said. Poonamalle traffic investigation police have registered a case and are investigating.
The fire and rescue personnel from Poonamalle fire station had arrived at the spot and doused the fire after one hour. The firemen also retrieved the body from the lorry.
“The police sent the body to the government hospital for post-mortem,” the police added. Ramesh had got married a year ago to a woman named Jhansi Rani. The incident had affected vehicle movement on the road for more than an hour. The Poonamalle traffic investigation police have registered a case and are investigating.
