Woman (21) dies as car catches fire after collision on foggy night

Gurgaon: A 21-year-old woman charred to death while her husband suffered grievous injuries when their car collided with a heavy vehicle — possibly a truck —on Pataudi Road a little after Saturday midnight, when fog reduced visibility to almost zero.
Neelu, a homemaker, and her husband Pawan were returning home after watching a movie at New Town Square Mall in Sector 95 when their Maruti Alto was hit by a heavy vehicle from behind near Wazirpur Mod.
Officials suspect by the time the driver of the heavy vehicle spotted the Alto — which was moving slowly through the fog — it was too late. He tried to steer the vehicle to the left, but it hit the car. The passenger side of the Alto was mangled.
"The left door and roof of the car was almost flattened. Neelu, who was in the front passenger seat, became trapped in the vehicle. Fire erupted from the engine and spread rapidly because of fuel leakage," said Manesar fire officer Lalit.
Passersby managed to rescue Pawan — who works with electric cab aggregator Blu Smart — from the driver's seat, but failed to pull out Neelu as flames had engulfed the entire car.
Officials said the fire control room received an alert a little after 1am. A fire engine arrived within 15-20 minutes and doused the flames. But the car was completely charred by then. Neelu's body was burnt beyond recognition. It was handed over to police for an autopsy.
Police are scanning CCTV footage to identify the vehicle that hit the Alto. "Looking at the extent of the damage, it appears that a heavy vehicle, most probably a truck, crashed into the Alto. The accident happened because the Alto had slowed down due to fog, which reduced visibility considerably. The accused driver fled the scene. We are reviewing CCTV footage from various locations to identify the vehicle," said sub-inspector Pradeep, who is investigating the case.
Police, Pradeep said, are awaiting a formal complaint from the family before registering a case.
In another accident a couple of hours later, a truck driver was injured when his gravel-laden vehicle overturned near Sector 82 on NH-8. The accident caused the truck to go up in flames as its fuel tank ruptured, leaving driver Hansraj with grievous injuries.
"The heavy vehicle crossed the median and flipped on the elevated portion of NH-8, spilling gravel across the carriageway," fire officer Lalit said. Local residents helped rescue the injured driver, and took him to hospital. Fire fighters brought the blaze under control in some time.
Traffic cops deployed an earth mover and trucks to clear the highway by 6am. Until then, traffic had to be diverted.