Woman charred to death as autorickshaw catches fire after crash in Thane

THANE: An unidentified woman travelling in an autorickshaw was charred to death while its driver suffered injuries after the vehicle crashed into a road divider at Gaimukh on the Ghodbunder Road in Thane on Wednesday.
The incident occurred when the auto was travelling from Mira Road towards Thane around 5.15am when its driver identified as Rajesh Kumar (45) lost control over the vehicle and it crashed into the road divider.
After the crash, the auto caught fire trapping the woman passenger and the driver inside it.
Rescue officials said few passersby managed to pull out the driver out of the burning vehicle but were unable to rescue the woman.
“The woman was trapped inside the vehicle and could be pulled out only after the blaze was controlled. She had suffered severe burn injuries. She was taken to the government hospital where doctors declared her dead. We could not ascertain her identity and will wait for police investigations,” said Avinash Sawant, chief at the regional disaster management cell.