Kannur: An eight-month pregnant girl and her husband have been charred to loss of life when their automotive, a Maruti Suzuki S-presso, caught fireplace minutes away from the Kannur District Hospital.

The deceased have been recognized as Reesha Okay (26) and her husband Prajith T V (32), a civil contractor and resident of Kuttiattoor grama panchayat.

Reesha’s daughter Sreeparvathy (8), her mother and father Kuzhikkal Vishwanathan and Shobha, and her aunt Sajina had a slender escape and Prajith managed to open the again doorways for them within the nick of time.

Passing automobiles noticed the fireplace underneath the hatchback’s bonnet and alerted Prajith, who was driving the automotive, mentioned eyewitnesses. He stopped the automotive however the entrance passenger door and driver’s door have been jammed.

Prajith stretched again and opened the rear door and pushed out these behind, they mentioned.

By then the fireplace sneaked in and enveloped the entrance of the automotive. The couple’s kin wailed for assist however the fireplace, fueled by petrol and air, saved passersby at bay. Those who got here working in might solely throw their fingers up in despair.

Officers from the Fire and Rescue Station, 500m away, reached in minutes. But it was over. They might retrieve solely the charred stays of the couple.

S-Presso, slotted between Alto 800 and Wagon R, was launched in 2019. Reesha and Prajith purchased the VXI petrol variant of the automotive in December 2020. When contacted, Maruti Suzuki India’s regional zonal supervisor Kenny John Mathew in Kochi mentioned he was not authorised to talk to information media. Another official mentioned they weren’t conscious of a hearth accident involving S-presso earlier than Thursday’s incident.

In the morning, Reesha’s mother and father and aunt got here residence to take her to the hospital after she developed abdomen ache, mentioned Kuttiattoor ward member Sathyabhama. “We don’t know if Reesha had gone into labour,” she mentioned.

All six family members left within the automotive to the District Hospital, 25km away. The funeral will likely be held at 6 pm on Thursday. Prajith’s mother and father Thamaravalappil Gopalan and Kaushilya predeceased him.