A driver was burnt alive near East Midnapore's Gayagiri when his potato-laden truck collided head-on with another cargo vehicle on National Highway-116B's Digha-bound flank early on Wednesday.
The helper survived by managing to jump off the truck, but has been admitted to the Contai divisional hospital with serious injuries, said a police source.
The deceased driver, Shatrughan Prasad, 39, was a West Midnapore native.
Sources said the potato-laden truck and a cement-laden truck collided head-on at high speed near Gayagiri bus stop under Marishda police station in East Midnapore around 3.15am on Wednesday.
"Immediately, both the vehicles caught fire. Although the helper of the potato-laden somehow managed to get out of the truck, the driver was trapped in the lower cabin. The fire quickly spread to his cabin," said the source.
Residents rushed to his rescue, but the fire could not be extinguished.
"The driver, trapped in the cabin, was burned alive in front of everyone's eyes. On getting information, a fire engine from Contai reached the spot and doused the flames. Then, the burnt body of the driver was recovered," said an eyewitness.
The driver and helper of the other truck carrying cement reportedly received minor injuries and were discharged from the hospital after initial treatment.
The incident caused an uproar, with residents exchanging heated words with police over the alleged lack of rescue efforts.
Residents also staged an hourlong roadblock around 4am, which was lifted following talks with the police.
Local resident Sitaram Das said: "The driver who ultimately died could be heard screaming from inside his burning truck.... If only the fire department and police had arrived on time, his life could have been saved."
Somnath Saha, the SDPO of Contai, said prima facie both the drivers had been speeding on the highway at night.
"As a result, they lost control of their vehicles and rammed into each other. The collision was so huge that the oil tank of one of the trucks leaked and caught fire," he said.
The SDPO said that the body of Prasad had been sent for a post-mortem.
Marishda police have also started an investigation into the incident.