Four including a toddler die after electric car hits wall and catches fire on Vijayawada West bypass

Four people, including a three-year-old boy, died on the spot, and a woman suffered grievous injuries after a car carrying them hit the roadside railing and caught fire on West Bypass Road on the outskirts of Vijayawada on Monday (October 12, 2026) evening. The victims were returning after attending a function at Namburu village.

The vehicle was gutted, NTR District Fire Officer (DFO) A.V. Shankar Rao said. Initial reports suggested that all four people on board had died in the fire. “The victims were pulled out of the vehicle by passers-by before it caught fire,” a police officer said.

The deceased were identified as K. Ramdev (38), K. Aruna (60), T. Vijaya and a three-year-old boy. T. Aruna was admitted to a hospital with critical injuries and her condition was stated to be critical. Fire tenders doused the flames.

“Flames engulfed the vehicle. By the time we pulled those on board out of the vehicle, they had died,” some local residents said.

The police have launched an investigation. “We are examining CCTV footage and gathering information from eyewitnesses,” a police officer said. The car was on fire for more than 15 minutes before the fire tenders reached the spot, local residents said. The police have shifted the bodies to the Government Hospital for autopsy. Later, the police removed the charred vehicle with a crane and cleared the road. The West Zone police have registered a case.

Leaders express grief

IT and HRD Minister Nara Lokesh instructed the NTR district administration to ensure that the injured received better medical care.

Deputy Chief Minister K. Pawan Kalyan asked officials to investigate the cause of the fire in the vehicle, which his office described as an electric car and to ensure the best treatment for the injured woman. Home Minister Vangalapudi Anitha said the government would stand by the affected families. YSR Congress Party (YSRCP) president and former Chief Minister Y.S. Jagan Mohan Reddy also expressed shock and conveyed his condolences.