Delhi: Two cousins burnt to death after Fortuner SUV catches fire post collision with truck

The crash took place around 3 am, when the vehicle, travelling towards Delhi, rammed into a truck moving ahead of it.

According to Delhi Police, the impact was so severe that the SUV’s bonnet became wedged under the truck and was dragged for nearly 400 to 500 metres before it burst into flames, NDTV reported.

Both occupants- Henry (20), a resident of Meera Bagh, and Dipanshu Chandela (21) from Paschim Vihar, were trapped inside and burnt to death. Their bodies were later identified by their families.

Family members told NDTV that the cousins had left home around 2:30 am to have dinner at Murthal, a popular late-night food destination on the Delhi–Chandigarh highway.

Police said they received a distress call around 3:10 am, following which a team from the Rani Bagh Police Station and fire tenders rushed to the spot.

By the time the blaze was brought under control, both victims had succumbed to their injuries. Their bodies were sent for post-mortem and later handed over to their families.

The truck driver has been detained for questioning. He told investigators that he was travelling from Mundka to Sanjay Gandhi Transport Nagar when the SUV rammed into his vehicle from behind.

A case has been registered, and an investigation is underway to determine whether speeding or negligence led to the crash.

Family members said Henry was a BBA student in Pune, whose father works in the mobile tower installation business. They said the family had earlier lost Henry’s elder brother in a similar tragedy.

Dipanshu, also a BBA student at a college in Rohini, was the son of a local property dealer and is survived by his parents and a sister.

Police said a mechanical inspection report of both vehicles has been ordered to ascertain the exact cause of the accident.