Muzaffarpur: A woman was burnt alive and five members of the same family were injured after an e-rickshaw caught fire in Bihar’s Muzaffarpur district early on Thursday morning.
The incident occurred around 7am near the Rajlaxmi Line Hotel on the Darbhanga four-lane highway in Berua, Gaighat. According to police, the electric rickshaw – carrying seven members of a family returning from a wedding – suddenly burst into flames, reportedly following a battery explosion.
Kamrun Khatoon, 50, died at the scene, her body charred beyond recognition. Among the injured is 70-year-old Zainab Khatoon, whose condition is said to be critical. The victims are residents of Dumriahi village under Khajauli police station limits in neighbouring Madhubani district.
“The battery blast triggered a blaze that quickly engulfed the entire vehicle,” said a senior police official. “The occupants had little time to escape. Locals tried to help, but the fire spread too fast.”
The injured were first taken to a local community health centre by police and later referred to the burn unit of Shri Krishna Medical College and Hospital (SKMCH), Muzaffarpur.
The family was returning home from Khanpur Patiasa after attending a wedding ceremony. Mohammad Sajid Hussain, who was driving the e-rickshaw, was accompanied by his mother Kamrun, wife Yasmin, grandmother Zainab, son Sarfaraz, and daughters Raveena and Sakina.
According to Mohammad Phoolbabu, a relative, Kamrun Khatoon’s body was reduced to skeletal remains. Family members requested the authorities to release the body without postmortem, citing its condition. However, police persuaded them and sent the body for autopsy at SKMCH.
ASP (East) Shahreyar Akhtar, who visited the scene, confirmed that while one woman remains critical, the other injured family members are stable and undergoing treatment.
