Pune: 8 dead as car gets crushed between two container trucks on Mumbai-Bengaluru highway
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Pune (PTI): Eight persons were killed and 14 others injured after a car got crushed between two large container trucks with a huge fire engulfing all three vehicles on the Mumbai-Bengaluru highway here on Thursday evening, police said.
The horrific incident involving multiple vehicles took place on Navale Bridge, infamous as an accident-prone stretch.
Officials suspected that the CNG kit in the car exploded following the impact which led to the fire.
"As per preliminary information, a heavy container truck was going towards Mumbai. Its driver lost control due to a suspected brake failure on the bridge, and it hit a few vehicles in its way including a mini-bus before ramming into another big container in front. A car was caught between these two trucks and got crushed badly," Deputy Commissioner of Police Sambhaji Kadam said.
The impact triggered a huge fire and the three vehicles got engulfed in it, he said.
Most of the injured were travelling in the minibus.
Pune police commissioner Amitesh Kumar, who visited the spot, said, "The fire erupted due to the impact of the collision."
Traffic on the Bengaluru-Mumbai carriageway of the highway was stopped and the work of removing the gutted vehicles was underway.
Eight fire tenders and tankers were rushed to the spot, a fire brigade official said.
"When our personnel reached the spot, they found that a car was trapped between two big container trucks and a huge fire had erupted. The fire was doused. Charred bodies were retrieved from a truck and the car," said Devendra Potphode, Chief Fire Officer, Pune Municipal Corporation (PMC).
Municipal commissioner Naval Kishore Ram said the disaster management, fire department and medical teams of the PMC rushed to the site and conducted the rescue and relief operations.
"Ambulances, cranes and JCBs were deployed and the injured were shifted to hospitals," he said.
In a statement, Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis termed the accident as "tragic and painful", and announced Rs 5 lakh ex-gratia to the next of kin of the deceased.
The deceased in the car were identified as Swati Santosh Navalkar (37), Shanta Dattatray Dabhade (54), Dattatray Chandrakant Dabhade (58), all residents of Dhayari in Pune; Mokshita Reddy (3), a resident of Chikhli in Pimpri Chinchwad, and Dhananjay Koli (30), a resident of Kolhapur.
Another deceased was identified as Rohit Kadam (25), a resident of Satara. The identity of two others, whose bodies were recovered from a container truck, was yet to be ascertained.
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RCB beat MI by 18 runs after batters fire
Mumbai (PTI): Royal Challengers Bengaluru skipper Rajat Patidar, Phil Salt and Virat Kohli blasted half-centuries as the defending champions beat Mumbai Indians by 18 runs in an Indian Premier League match here on Sunday.
Salt (78 off 36 balls) and Kohli (50 off 38 balls) stitched together a 120-run stand for the opening wicket before Patidar scored a rapid 53 off just 20 balls as RCB posted 240 for 4.
In response, Mumbai Indians were restricted to 222 for 5, with RCB spinner Suyash Sharma (2/47) putting the skids on the home side with a double strike in the eighth over, from which they could not recover.
Sherfane Rutherford top-scored for MI with an unbeaten 71 off 31 balls.
While opener Rohit Sharma appeared to be struggling with a hamstring issue and had to retire hurt on 19, his partner Ryan Rickelton made 37, while Suryakumar Yadav (33) and Hardik Pandya (40) were the other contributors for MI.
Brief scores:
Royal Challengers Bengaluru 240 for 4 in 20 overs (Phil Salt 78, Virat Kohli 50, Rajat Patidar 53, Tim David 35 not out).
Mumbai Indians: 222 for 5 in 20 overs (Sherfane Rutherford 71 not out, Ryan Rickelton 37, Hardik Pandya 40; Suyash Sharma 2/47).
