Thrissur: A running car caught fire and was completely destroyed on the National Highway at Amballur here on Thursday. The passengers, including newborn twins, escaped from the vehicle unhurt.

The incident occurred around 8 pm while a family from Muringoor was returning home from a private hospital in Thrissur after childbirth. Midway through their journey, they noticed smoke coming from the front of the car.

Though they tried to get out of the vehicle, the doors got jammed. But they managed to open them shortly afterwards, narrowly avoiding a major disaster. The family quickly got out and removed some belongings just before the fire spread rapidly and engulfed the car. The vehicle was completely destroyed in the blaze.

The fire force unit from Puthukkad rushed to the spot and contained the blaze. The cause of the fire is still unknown. 

Traffic on the national highway was severely disrupted due to the incident. District Panchayat President VS Prince, who was present at the scene, led the rescue efforts. The car belonged to Poonjakaran Joseph Thankachan, a resident of Muringoor.