3 killed as SUV catches fire after falling off bridge

Three persons were charred to death and two others seriously injured when the SUV they were travelling in caught fire after falling into a dry canal from a bridge in Rajkot district this evening, police said.
The incident occurred near Dumiyani village in Upleta taluka of the district, over 200km from here, when the car driver spotted sparks near the dash board.
He lost control over the vehicle, causing it to fall in a dry canal while crossing a small bridge near Dumiyani, said Police Inspector of Upleta R S Chavda.
"Car driver Jusab Kharoch, who survived the accident, told us he lost control after seeing sparks near the dash board. The car fell into the dry canal from the bridge," he said.

The deceased were identified as Premji Jungi (65), Chetan Girnari (37) and Jitendra Shiyal (48), all distant relatives and residents of Porbandar. The driver and Premji's son Deepak (35) received severe injuries and were admitted to a nearby hospital, said the police officer.
"The car caught fire immediately after hitting the ground. Three of the passengers got trapped inside the car and were charred to death, while two others managed to escape with injuries. We called fire tenders to douse the blaze and later pulled out the charred bodies," Chavda said.