Eight members of a family, including three women and two minors, were burnt to death while sleeping in their three-storeyed house after the family’s electric car caught fire during charging and the blaze engulfed the entire house in the wee hours of Wednesday at Indore in Madhya Pradesh.
The tragedy assumed alarming proportions, as the electric locks fitted on the doors of the house got jammed due to the fire, trapping the family members inside, and some gas cylinders kept in the house also exploded.
According to the police, the incident occurred sometime around 3.30 AM in the house of rubber businessman Manoj Pugaliya (65) in the Brajeshwari Annex colony.
The family’s TATA Punch EV car was being charged in the premises, when it caught fire and engulfed the entire building.
As per Indore Assistant Commissioner of Police Kundan Mandloi, the deceased include Manoj Pugaliya, his daughter-in-law Simran (30), and their relatives Vijay Sethia (65), his wife Suman Sethiya (60), Chotu Sethiya (22), Rashi Sethiya (12), Tinu (35), and Tanay (8).
Manoj Pugaliya’s wife and three sons were injured and they were admitted to a hospital for treatment.
Following the tragic incident, the MP state government has announced a detailed investigation by an expert panel, and the drafting of a Standard Operating Procedure (SOP) for charging electric vehicles.