2 men die after bike collision on Maharashtra highway, passers-by shoot videos but don’t help

india

Updated: May 12, 2017 20:15 IST

A biker burned to death and another lay injured on a busy highway in Maharashtra after a collision, but passers-by reportedly stopped only to shoot videos of the horrific episode.

The accident happened on Thursday evening at Majalgaon Phata on NH 222 in Beed district. In the collision, both riders apparently lost consciousness. Police said one of them was trapped under the wrecked bike, which caught fire.

Both bikers then were engulfed in flames. For at least the first half hour several cars, trucks and two-wheelers must have passed the spot, but nobody helped them, police added.

Finally, a passer-by took one of the victims –– 23-year-old Nitin Ajaykumar Jaiswal, a resident of Juna Bajhar area of Majalgaon –– was taken to the hospital.

By the time police arrived after being informed by the Majalgaon Rural Hospital, the other biker was charred beyond recognition.

His body was sent to Civil Hospital in Beed.

Jaiswal succumbed to his injuries on Friday morning, Beed superintendent of police, G Sreedhar, told PTI.

Videos of the burning bike and the rider trapped under it were shared on social media.

The stretch where the accident took place is uninhabited, and no water is available nearby, which could be a reason why no attempt was made to douse the fire, Sreedhar said.

“We are investigating how the bike caught fire. But the priority right now is to find out the charred person’s identity and inform his family members,” he added.

The charred bike’s number plate indicated that it was registered in Parbhani district.

Police also found alcohol bottles at the spot; another officials said spilt alcohol may have fuelled the fire.

Majalgaon rural police are further investigating the case.