Four killed, five injured as minibus catches fire near Pune

Pune: Four employees of a private firm were charred to death and five others injured after their company vehicle caught fire near Pune on Wednesday morning, police said. An official said the casualties resulted because the emergency exit at the rear side of the minibus could not be opened. The incident occurred at Hinjewadi in the Pimpri Chinchwad area around 7.30 am, an official said. The vehicle was ferrying 12 employees of Vyoma Graphics from Warje to Hinjewadi at the time, he said.

When the vehicle was near Dassault Systemes, a fire started close to the driver’s feet. The driver slowed down the vehicle after the fire spread to the front side, said Kanhaiya Thorat, senior police inspector of Hinjewadi police station. “Sensing danger, four employees immediately got off the minibus. Those at the rear side of the vehicle tried to escape through the emergency exit at the backside. “Preliminary probe suggests that some employees failed to evict themselves after the exit door did not open. While four of them charred to death, five others sustained burns, the official said. Hinjewadi Deputy Commissioner of Police Vishal Gaikwad said the bodies were removed from the vehicle and the injured were rushed to the hospital for medical care.