Truck driver burnt alive after collision amid dense fog on UP highway
Etawah (PTI): A truck driver was burnt alive after two trucks collided amid dense fog on the Agra-Etawah-Kanpur six-lane highway here, police said on Friday.
The accident occurred late Thursday night near the Pakka Bagh overbridge on National Highway-2.
Police said a truck carrying gypsum from Ahlanabad in Haryana to Varanasi rammed into another truck ahead of it after the latter suddenly applied brakes amid poor visibility due to dense fog.
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Following the collision, the truck loaded with gypsum caught fire, which quickly spread to the cabin. The driver remained trapped inside the cabin and was engulfed by flames, resulting in his death on the spot, police said.
Passersby informed the police and fire brigade about the blaze. Three fire tenders were rushed to the spot and firefighters managed to douse the fire after nearly an hour of strenuous efforts. By then, the cabin of the truck had been completely gutted.
The incident and subsequent firefighting operations led to disruption of traffic on the busy highway for several hours, police said.
After the fire was extinguished, police recovered the charred remains of the driver from the burnt cabin. The deceased was identified as Jaskirat Singh alias Lovely, a resident of Sirsa in Haryana, by the driver of another truck travelling behind, police said.
Police said the collision occurred due to sudden braking by the truck ahead in dense fog, leaving the following driver with little time to react. A crane was later used to remove the burnt truck from the road and traffic was restored.
The remains of the deceased have been sent for postmortem examination after completing necessary formalities, police added.
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Experience comes when you play bigger teams in bilateral series: Rashid Khan
Chennai (PTI): Afghanistan skipper Rashid Khan called for more bilateral series against stronger cricketing nations after his team signed off from the T20 World Cup on a high, defeating Canada in their final group match here on Thursday.
Afghanistan played some exhilarating cricket, going down to South Africa in a gripping second Super Over after the scores were tied, a humdinger that provided one of the early thrills of the World Cup.
However, the spin-bowling stalwart said Afghanistan could make significant strides if they get regular opportunities to compete against stronger cricketing nations.
"Couple of areas to improve, with the batting, the middle order got a bit stuck against the big teams, and then with the bowling the death overs. That comes when you play the bigger teams in bilateral series," said Rashid after his team defeat Canada by 82 runs, with him returning excellent figures of 2 for 19.
The stalwart said the side had arrived well prepared for the tournament and produced some breathtaking cricket, but admitted the narrow defeat to South Africa proved costly and remained a painful setback.
"We were well-prepared (for the tournament), we played some unbelievable cricket. The game against South Africa, that really hurt everyone. We had to win one of those (first two) games and see how the tournament unfolded. We'll take some positive things from this World Cup and look forward," he said.
With head coach Jonathan Trott set to part ways with the team, Rashid described the departure as an "emotional" moment for the side.
"I think we had some wonderful times with him. Where we are now, he played a main role. It's emotional to see him leave us, but that's how life is. We wish him all the best and somewhere down the line we see him again."
Ibrahim Zadran, who was named Player of the Match for his unbeaten 95 off 56 balls, said it was satisfying to finally register a substantial score after two below-par outings.
"I enjoyed it, didn't play better cricket in first two innings, which I expect. Wanted to back my skills, really enjoyed it. Pressure was there, it's there all the time. I want to put myself in pressure situations and enjoy it," said Zadran.
"Wanted to play positive cricket, rotate strike and punish bad ball, create partnerships and this is what I have done."
