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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Have requested Amit Shah for CBI probe into Ajit Pawar's plane crash: Fadnavis
Mumbai (PTI): The Maharashtra government has requested Union Home Minister Amit Shah to order a CBI investigation into the plane crash that killed Deputy CM Ajit Pawar last month, Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis has said.
The Mahayuti government will ensure that all doubts regarding the plane crash are cleared, Fadnavis said at a press conference on Sunday on the eve of the budget session of the Maharashtra legislature.
"I had received a letter from the NCP (an ally of the BJP) seeking a CBI probe into the air crash and spoke with Home Minister Amit Shah. Along with investigations by DGCA and state CID, there will be a probe by the CBI," he added.
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Ajit Pawar and four others onboard a chartered plane were killed when it crashed while attempting to land near Baramati in Pune district on January 28.
The late NCP chief's nephew and NCP (SP) leader Rohit Pawar has raised several allegations regarding the plane crash circumstances and suspected foul play.
On Saturday, Rohit Pawar wrote to Prime Minister Narendra Modi, demanding that Civil Aviation Minister K Rammohan Naidu be asked to resign till the inquiry into the incident is completed.
He has also raised questions regarding the company VSR that owned the ill-fated Learjet 45 aircraft and its purported links with Naidu.
Fadnavis, meanwhile, added that the DGCA (Directorate General of Civil Aviation) was conducting an audit of the VSR Company and all its logbooks were being checked.
"We have to wait for the probe report and avoid speculation. There may be doubts that have to be referred to the appropriate authority. We will also ensure a regular follow-up of the investigation. I feel the DGCA and civil aviation ministry have nothing to hide," he said.
Noting the probe is important for the safety of all political leaders, Fadnavis recalled that he had travelled on the VSR plane several times.
Deputy CM Sunetra Pawar, who was also present at the presser with Deputy CM Eknath Shinde, said, "We have requested a CBI probe into the air crash and the chief minister has assured a thorough investigation."
Fadnavis also took a swipe at the Opposition after leaders of the Sharad Pawar-led NCP (SP) skipped the Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) meeting on the eve of the state Budget session, which is likely to witness intense debates on Ajit Pawar's plane crash and other issues.
The Opposition boycotted the customary tea party hosted by Fadnavis, claiming the state government had not expressed any regret over the potential impact of the Indo-US trade deal on cotton growers and fisherfolk from Maharashtra.
