Kozhikode (Kerala): A woman patient was charred to death when the ambulance, transporting her to another hospital, hit an electric pole and caught fire in this district early Tuesday morning, police said.

The shocking mishap happened when the deceased patient, Sulochana (57), was shifted from a Medical College Hospital to a private hospital here for an emergency surgery, they said.

The high-speeding ambulance skidded after losing control and hit a wayside electric pole, thus catching fire, police said.

Besides the woman patient and the driver, two persons, a doctor, and a nurse were also in the vehicle. They had a narrow escape with minor injuries, but the patient got trapped in the vehicle and was charred to death.

The rescued persons were rushed to a nearby hospital, police added.