Lorry catches fire on Hyderabad- Vijayawada NH-65, no casualties reported

Hyderabad: Holiday-makers heading home for Dasara were stranded in a 3-km-long jam on the Hyderabad-Vijayawada National Highway-65 near Chityal when an overspeeding lorry caught fire after hitting a culvert on Friday morning.

The cement-loaded lorry was headed to Hyderabad from Kodad and the driver lost control of the vehicle after one of the tyres burst, causing the accident at about 7 am.

Hundreds of vehicles slowed to a crawl for nearly four hours. Normal traffic flow resumed at 11 am after police removed the damaged lorry to the roadside.

According to the police, the fire spread to the lorry's petrol tank, creating panic among road-users. The lorry driver abandoned the vehicle after it caught fire. Fire safety personnel from Chityal arrived at the location and extinguished the flames.

The highway was particularly busy due to the large number of people from Hyderabad travelling to their hometowns for Dasara celebrations.