At least eight people were killed and more than 20 injured when a car was crushed between two container trucks that later caught fire on a bridge along the Mumbai–Bengaluru Highway near Pune on Thursday evening, according to IANS.
The accident happened on the Navale Bridge stretch on the outskirts of the city. According to the police, a heavily loaded container truck was headed toward Mumbai when it seemed to suffer a brake failure as it descended the slope leading to the bridge, then lost control and slammed into the vehicles ahead. In the chain collision that followed, the truck rammed another large container vehicle while a car that was traveling between the two was trapped and crushed.
“As per preliminary information, a heavy container truck was going towards Mumbai on the highway. When it reached the bridge, its driver lost control over it due to suspected brake failure. This big vehicle hit another big container that was going ahead. But a car running between these two containers got crushed,” Deputy Commissioner of Police Sambhaji Kadam said, as quoted by PTI.
The impact and subsequent fire left vehicles ablaze, with thick smoke billowing over the highway. Emergency crews rushed injured passengers to nearby hospitals while a fire brigade team doused the blaze and cleared the carriageway of charred wreckage.
Police have launched an investigation into the exact cause of the crash, investigating possible mechanical failure and speed, adding that the death toll may yet change because some of the injured are still in serious condition.
A global media for the latest news, entertainment, music fashion, and more.
