Phagwara, Nov 24: A 20-year-old student from Kerala was killed in a multi-vehicle crash on the Jalandhar-Ludhiana highway near Chaheru village in Phagwara shortly after midnight on Monday, police said. His friend and another commuter were injured in the incident, which involved two SUVs, a truck and a motorcycle.
Police said the crash unfolded around 12.30am when two sport-utility vehicles collided, pushing one of them into a truck moving ahead. According to investigating officer Kirpal Singh, the impact triggered an explosion and both SUVs went up in flames. “Within seconds, both vehicles caught fire after the occupants were pulled out by passers-by,” he said.
Moments later, a speeding motorcycle struck one of the damaged vehicles and was engulfed by the fire. The rider, identified as Asmir Rauf from Kerala and enrolled at Lovely Professional University, died at the scene, while his pillion rider was rushed to the Civil Hospital in Jalandhar and later referred to another facility. “The motorcycle smashed into the vehicle during the rescue effort,” Singh said.
Both students were pursuing airport management at the university, officials confirmed. Police added that an SUV passenger also sustained burn injuries and was undergoing treatment.
The incident prompted a brief disruption of traffic on the highway as fire tenders and emergency teams responded to the spot.
