BAREILLY: Eight people were charred to death after a horrific head-to-head collision between a dumper and a car on the Bareilly-Nainital Highway, in the Bhojipura police station area of Uttar Pradesh on Saturday night, officials said.

According to eyewitnesses, the car suffered a tyre burst resulting in a head-on collision with a dumper coming from Uttarakhand.

The collision was followed by a loud explosion as the two vehicles went up in flames, sources said, adding that locals residing nearby rushed out of their homes and informed the police.

A police team soon arrived at the spot after receiving word of the accident and fire tenders were brought in to douse the flames.

However, the trapped occupants of the car were burnt alive as the doors were locked from inside.

The two occupants of the dumper were critically injured, officials said.

The local Special Superintendent of Police (SSP) confirmed the death of all eight occupants of the car, saying the vehicle was headed from Bareilly to Baheri.

The SSP informed that the police took possession of the bodies and sent them for post-mortem, adding that a child was also among the deceased.

Further details are awaited.