Kurnool: Around 15,600 beer bottles being carried in a truck were destroyed when it caught fire near Nandyal in Kurnool district, Andhra Pradesh on Monday afternoon. Upon noticing the smoke, the driver of the truck immediately jumped out and tried to put out the fire.

The incident resulted in shards of glass flying in all directions as many glass bottles exploded. The vehicle was immediately stopped on the side of the road. 

Police have suspected that the fire broke out in the engine and later spread swiftly to the rest of the vehicle. The liquor in the bottles quickly caught fire. 

The vehicle has also been fully destroyed in the incident. However, the actual cause of the fire remains to be confirmed.

The driver suffered burn injuries and was shifted to the nearest government hospital for treatment. 

Reports said that the truck was coming from Hyderabad after picking up a load from a distillery in Sangareddy district.

Lalita Devi, The Nandyal Prohibition and Excise circle inspector, informed reporters that 15,600 bottles being carried in 1300 cartons were ruined in the incident. The loss incurred has been estimated to be around Rs 15 lakh.

In a similar incident earlier this year, a car on Hyderbad’s Outer Ring Road (ORR), caught fire and the man driving it was burnt alive. The deceased was identified as Ganta Venkata Giri, a resident of Bowrampet. He used to work as an Assistant Manager at the Gangavaram Port office in Hyderabad. The incident took place near Sultanpur village in Ameenpur mandal, Sangareddy district.