Car bursts into flames after hitting divider on Mumbai-Ahmedabad highway; 3 rescued

The three car occupants were rescued moments before the fire erupted, Kasa police stations assistant sub-inspector Sunil Mali said, adding the incident disrupted traffic on the busy route for more than an hour. Traffic movement on the busy Mumbai-Ahmedabad highway was disrupted for over an hour due to the incident, the police said.

A car carrying three persons crashed into a road divider on the Mumbai-Ahmedabad highway in Maharashtra's Palghar district and caught fire on Wednesday, police said. The three car occupants were rescued moments before the fire erupted, Kasa police station's assistant sub-inspector Sunil Mali said, adding the incident disrupted traffic on the busy route for more than an hour. The car, heading from Mumbai to Gujarat, hit the road divider, overturned and got locked, trapping the occupants inside around midnight, the official said. After being alerted, police and fire brigade personnel rushed to the spot. The police, with the help of two truck drivers who had halted on the highway, managed to pull out the three car occupants just as smoke began emanating from the engine, the official said. ''Soon after the rescue, the vehicle caught fire. Despite efforts by the police and firemen to douse the flames using fire extinguishers, the blaze intensified and gutted the car,'' he said. A medical team examined the car occupants at the spot and advised rest for about an hour before allowing them to resume their journey, the official said. Traffic movement on the busy Mumbai-Ahmedabad highway was disrupted for over an hour due to the incident, the police said.