Three men were charred to death and one sustained burn injuries after their truck caught fire after colliding with a lorry near Ghatla Bridge in Ratlam in Madhya Pradesh on Monday, police said.
The driver of the chilli-laden truck lost control and hit a road divider and then collided with a lorry coming from the opposite direction carrying marble slabs, Inspector Mahesh Dubey of Industrial Area police station said.
"The collision, which took place around 2am, caused the truck to go up in flames, killing chilli merchant Aslam Sheikh, driver Ramesh Mandloi (26) and Vishnu Bhaskale (35). The fourth occupant, Murtaza Mustafa (43), managed to jump off but sustained burn injuries," he added.
The truck was on its way from Khargone to Ajmer while the marble-laden lorry was moving from Indore to Javras, he informed.
"The lorry driver fled from the spot. A case has been registered," he said.