In a tragic incident, an elderly auto driver was burned to death while attempting to light a cigarette in his auto rickshaw.
As reported by a leading daily, the man identified as Syed Yosuf, a resident of Neelam Basha Dargah Street in Ice House, failed to notice the fire which had caught his dhoti and very soon, he was engulfed in the raging flames.
Police said after he drank tea sitting in his auto rickshaw he lit a cigarette. However, he forgot to put out the match stick that led to the fire.
Others could not notice the blaze as the vehicle was parked away from the tea shop. It was only after he jumped out of the vehicle that the bystanders noticed and rushed to his rescue. Water was sprinkled on him and they managed to take him to the Government Kilpauk Medical College (KMC) and Hospital, where doctors said he had sustained 90% burns. Later on Tuesday morning, he died of burns.
The driver was on his way home when he met with this unfortunate incident which took his life away. He was speaking on mobile before the fire broke out. Reportedly, there has been no damage to the vehicle because he jumped out of his auto.