Truck engulfed in flames on Mumbai-Ahmedabad highway disrupting traffic for hours

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A truck caught fire on Mumbai-Ahmedabad highway in Maharashtra's Palghar district on Tuesday morning, affecting traffic on the busy route for a couple of hours, police said.

No one was injured, PTI reported quoting the police, adding the truck was completely charred in the blaze.

The flames could be seen from a long distance. It was not yet known what the vehicle was carrying.

The truck caught fire near Medvan on the highway at around 8 am when it was proceeding towards Mumbai from Gujarat, an official at the district rural police control room said.

After noticing the flames, the truck's driver and cleaner jumped out to safety, the official said.

Vehicular movement on both sides of the highway remained affected for a couple of hours, he said.

Fire teams at Boisar and Dahanu were alerted, but the truck was completely charred before their arrival, the police said.

The cause of fire was under investigation, they added.

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On Monday, decomposed remains of a 40-year-old man were found along the Mumbai-Ahmedabad Highway within Maharashtra's Palghar district. The body was located in the jurisdiction of Haloli village who are currently conducting a probe into the matter. The identity of the deceased is yet to be ascertained.

The body was found on Sunday morning and was sent for post-mortem, the police were quoted as saying in a PTI report.

According to the report, concerned passersby alerted the local authorities after stumbling upon the disturbing scene. Subsequently, the police sent it for post-mortem. The cops have registered an accidental death case and are continuing their probe.

The PTI report quoted an official saying that the person's death might have occurred four to five days prior to the discovery of the body. (Agencies)