Bangalore : Four members of a family from Bangalore died after their minivan caught fire on the outskirts of Palamaner, Andhra Pradesh, around 4.15am Wednesday. While three died on the spot, the fourth succumbed to burn injuries in hospital around 5.30pm.

The family was returning home from a pilgrimage to Tirupati.

The Maruti Omni was being driven by Satyanarayana, 52, owner of Venkateshwara Textiles in Sampangiram Nagar. His wife Mahalakshmi, 45 and their children – Deepa Mala, 23 and Prashanth Kumar, 27 – were asleep in the car when the fire started.

The vehicle doors were jammed and they couldn’t get out vehicle once the fire started. While Satyanarayana, Mahalakshmi and Deepa died in the van, Prashant managed to break the windowpanes and jumped out. He suffered serious burns and was rushed to a private hospital in Vellore, Tamil Nadu.

KT Rana, superintendent of police, Chittoor said the control room in Palamaner got information about the fire and policemen from the jurisdictional station rushed to the spot. “Although policemen tried to get the victims out of the van, they couldn’t go close to the van as the fire was raging. Two fire tenders had to be called to douse the fire and the bodies could be removed only after the fire was put out,” said Rana.

According to Palamaner police, the rubber beading around the door frame melted in the fire and jammed the doors. There was evidence of the vehicle moving some distance before coming to a halt by the roadside. The cause of the fire is yet to be ascertained, but preliminary investigation suggests a short circuit in the engine may have triggered in the fire.

Autopsies were conducted on the three bodies at Chittoor Government Hospital and handed over to the grieving family members on Wednesday afternoon. The bodies were brought to their home in Sampangiram Nagar by night.