Passenger Dies As Car Catches Fire on India's Koyambedu Flyover

A passenger was burnt to death and a taxi driver was injured in a bizarre accident on the Koyambedu flyover when the car they were traveling in caught fire out of nowhere on Monday.

The incident happened at 12 p.m. on the busy flyover in Chennai, India while the car was heading towards Koyambedu's 100 Feet Road. The Hindu said traffic flow was hampered on the flyover as the automobile burst into flames. According to the Times of India, traffic on the stretch came to a standstill for more than an hour.

Grey and black smoke billowed from the car parked on the flyover in dramatic footage shared on Twitter. The vehicle was entirely burned by the time the flames were subdued. Police officers responded to the location.

According to preliminary reports, the passenger in the back seat was burnt beyond recognition when the door was locked. Because the fire started from the back, the driver, Sunil of Mangadu, suffered burns on his back.

Respondents and police officers freed him from the automobile. They sent him to a hospital in an ambulance. The cab was booked under the name Arjunan, police said. According to reports, the traveler is carrying paint and thinner. The burnt body was recovered and taken to the Government Kilpauk Medical College and Hospital for an autopsy. CMBT police are still investigating the reason behind the fire.

"We suspect that the presence of thinner paint intensified the fire and the situation went out of control," an investigating officer told Times of India. Police, quoting the driver, said he attempted to unlock the door but it got jammed. Officials also recovered a tiffin box from the vehicle.