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 the 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."
