Amaravati (Andhra Pradesh): At least five people were killed on Saturday after a fire broke out at a road construction site near Pinakota in Andhra Pradesh’s Alluri Sitarama Raju district on Saturday morning, according to the police. 

The blaze reportedly erupted between 8.30 a.m. and 8.45 a.m. while diesel was being filled into a Bolero Camper vehicle at the construction site.

The flames rapidly spread to a small tipper lorry and a two-wheeler parked nearby, completely gutting all three vehicles which resulted in the death of five people.

Alluri Sitarama Raju district Superintendent of Police, Amit Bardar, said the incident appeared to be an accidental fire.

The exact circumstances leading to the fire remain unclear, and authorities are yet to establish the cause of the incident.

The identities of the deceased have also not been confirmed officially. It is also not yet known whether the deceased were construction workers or passersby.

Preliminary information suggests that the Bolero Camper and the tipper lorry involved in the incident belonged to the contractor engaged in the road construction work.

It was not immediately clear how many people were present at the site when the fire broke out or whether any of them were directly involved in the diesel-filling operation.

Following information about the blaze, police personnel rushed to the spot and began assessing the situation.

Officials are expected to establish the sequence of events and determine the circumstances in which the fire spread to the three vehicles.

The incident has raised questions about the circumstances surrounding the handling of diesel at the construction site.

However, the precise source of ignition and the factors responsible for the rapid spread of the flames have yet to be determined.

Further details, including official confirmation of the reported deaths and the identities of the victims, are awaited. The preliminary account of the incident remains subject to verification by the authorities.