Aligarh: A tragic road accident in Uttar Pradesh’s Aligarh district claimed four lives and left another person critically injured early Tuesday morning, after a car collided head-on with a canter truck and burst into flames.
The accident took place around 6:30 a.m. at Gopi Pull, under the jurisdiction of Akrababad police station. According to police officials, the car — reportedly travelling from Eta district — collided with the oncoming canter truck headed from Aligarh. The impact was so severe that the car was engulfed in flames within moments of the crash, trapping its passengers inside.
Local authorities are still working to identify the victims, whose bodies were badly charred in the fire. A preliminary investigation suggests that a tire burst may have caused the driver of the car to lose control, veering the vehicle into the path of the truck. However, officials have not yet confirmed the exact cause of the accident.
“We received a call about a vehicle collision and fire on Gopi Pull around 6:30 in the morning,” said Amrit Jain, Superintendent of Police, Aligarh Rural. “Local police, fire and rescue teams, and ambulances — including emergency vehicles from the National Highway Authority of India — were immediately dispatched to the site.”
Firefighters managed to extinguish the blaze, after which emergency personnel worked to retrieve the victims. One survivor, who was severely injured, was pulled from the wreckage and rushed to the JNMC Trauma Centre in Aligarh. His condition remains critical.
Photos from the site show the car completely burnt, while the front of the canter truck sustained heavy damage. Cranes were brought in to remove the vehicles and restore traffic flow, which had come to a halt following the crash.
The bodies of the deceased have been sent for post-mortem examination, and police have launched a formal investigation. Legal procedures are also underway, and authorities have assured that efforts to identify the victims will be completed soon.
The incident has once again raised concerns about road safety on national and state highways, particularly regarding speeding, tire quality, and driver alertness during early morning hours — a period often associated with reduced visibility and fatigue.
Officials are urging drivers to maintain safe speeds and regularly check vehicle conditions, especially when covering long distances.
