BALAGHAT: An ambulance driver was burnt alive after the vehicle crashed into a tree, overturned and caught fire in Madhya Pradesh’s Balaghat district early on Tuesday, police said. A video of the incident has surfaced on social media.
The accident occurred near Kharra village in the Paraswada area at around 5 am on the Balaghat-Mandla road.
Police said the ambulance had come from Nagpur in Maharashtra to drop an injured patient at Santaritola village and was returning when the accident took place.
The deceased was identified by police as Michael Antune Morris, 56, a resident of the Ajni area in Nagpur. His identity was established through a mobile phone number found at the scene.
According to police, the injured patient had travelled to Nagpur for labour work and sustained a leg fracture during construction work on Sunday. After treatment, he was brought back to his village in the ambulance late at night.
The ambulance reportedly reached the village around 2 am. The driver rested there briefly before leaving for Nagpur at around 4 am via Mandla.
Police said the vehicle allegedly went out of control and rammed into a tree before overturning and catching fire. The driver was trapped inside the ambulance and died on the spot.
Passersby spotted the burning vehicle and alerted the authorities.
The body has been sent for post-mortem examination and further investigation is underway
