Pregnant woman, husband die as moving car catches fire in Kerala

A pregnant woman and her husband were charred to death on Thursday after their car caught fire in Kerala’s Kannur district.

Four people barely escaped the mishap, including the couple’s eldest daughter.

The tragic incident occurred when the expectant woman was being rushed to the hospital due to labour pain.

They had almost reached the hospital.

Local sources identified the deceased as Prajith (32) and his wife Reesha (26), natives of Kuttiattoor in the district. Apart from their elder daughter Sreeparvathy (7), Reesha’s parents and a relative survived the mishap with minor injuries.

Prajith was behind the wheel, and Reesha was in the passenger seat.

While driving, the front part of the vehicle caught fire. Locals who hurried to the scene could save the four people in the rear seats.

Prajith and Reesha couldn’t be saved as the fire spread instantly. Prajith attempted to unlock the door, but it
appeared that the locks got jammed, according to locals who assisted in the rescue.

Fire and rescue personnel rushed to the scene and extinguished the blaze.

The source of the fire was initially considered to be an electric spark generated by a faulty accessory installation.

Kannur city police commissioner Ajit Kumar said technical experts would examine the vehicle to identify the exact cause of the fire.

After a postmortem examination, the couple’s mortal remains were handed over to relatives.