Bharatpur/Alwar, May 1 -- Five members of a family from Madhya Pradesh were burnt alive after their car caught fire on the Delhi-Mumbai Expressway in Rajasthan's Alwar district in the early hours of Thursday, police said. The driver managed to jump off the running car but later he also succumbed to critical injuries. "He was found a few metres away and rushed to the district hospital before being referred to Jaipur for advanced treatment, where he succumbed to his injuries," police said. Officials familiar with the matter suspect a short circuit, possibly involving the vehicle's CNG system, triggered the blaze. Inspector Neki Ram of Laxmangarh police station said the victims, residents of Madhya Pradesh's Sheopur district, were returning home after visiting the Vaishno Devi temple in Jammu and Kashmir. "Police immediately reached the spot upon receiving information, but all the passengers were burnt alive inside the car. Only the driver could jump off the running car," he said. The deceased were identified as Santosh Kumar (35), his wife Shashi (33), mother-in-law Parvati Devi (50), and daughters Ragni (13) and Shakshi (9), and the driver, Vinod Kumar Mehar, police said. The officer said the fire spread rapidly after ignition. "The car was engulfed within seconds, possibly after the short circuit came in contact with the CNG," he said. A patrolling team of the National Highways Authority of India alerted emergency services. "The fire brigade took nearly an hour to douse the flames. The vehicle ran on petrol and also had a compressed natural gas (CNG) system fitted, which intensified the fire. The passengers were trapped before they could open the doors. The bodies were charred beyond recognition. Only some flesh and bones could be recovered and sent for DNA sampling," the inspector added. htc...