4 kids burnt alive in firecracker car

The car in Ghaziabad was used for ferrying firecrackers, which caught fire while the children were inside. (Source: Express photo)

Four children were killed and one other seriously injured after the car they were playing in caught fire in the Farrukh Nagar area of Ghaziabad on Sunday. Senior police officers said the deceased have been identified as Aksha, Farhan, Farhaan and Sarika, all aged between 3 and 8. Krish, 7, is battling for his life in a hospital in Ghaziabad.

Police said that Rizwan Khan, father of Aksha and Farhan, was loading fireworks into the family’s Maruti Alto car when the incident took place. “They work in the firecracker business and he was to transport some cargo to a marriage function in Dwarka in Delhi. He was going in and out of the small godown which is in the locality, carrying the goods. The children were all sitting in the car and listening to the radio,” a nior officer said.

A senior officer said that during one such trip inside the factory, there was a spark in the car, and seconds later a loud explosion. “There is no way of telling what caused the explosion. But within minutes the car was  in flames from all sides. Locals tried to put the fire out but by the time help arrived, three children had been killed. Krish was thrown out with the impact of the explosion and has sustained serious injures,” a senior officer said.Police said no complaint has been registered in the case thus far and bodies of the victims have been sent for post mortem. “No complaint has come to us thus far. If we receive a complaint, an FIR will be lodged, and all appropriate action will be taken,” an officer said.