PUNE, India — A tragic multi-vehicle accident on the busy Pune-Bengaluru highway claimed the lives of eight individuals and left 13 others injured Thursday evening. The crash occurred when a trailer truck lost control and collided with multiple vehicles, creating a fiery scene at the Bhumkar bridge-Navale Bridge section.
Eyewitnesses described a harrowing sequence of events as the truck veered off course, dragging a car with five occupants for several meters before colliding with another truck. The impact ignited a massive fire, tragically engulfing the vehicle stuck between the two heavy trucks. Among the deceased were a young family returning home and the car driver.
Authorities have identified the victims as Swati Santosh Navalkar, 37, her parents Dattatreya Dabhade, 58, and Shanta Dabhade, 54, along with their family friend’s daughter, three-year-old Mokshita Reddy, and driver Dhananjay Koli, 30. The eighth victim, identified as 25-year-old Rohit Kadam, succumbed to injuries sustained during the incident. The drivers and crew members of the trailer trucks involved have yet to be identified.
Maharashtra’s Chief Minister, Devendra Fadnavis, expressed his condolences to the families affected and announced a compensation of ₹5 lakh for each victim’s family. He highlighted the tragedy and noted the urgent need for improving safety measures on highways to prevent similar accidents in the future.
Pune Police Commissioner Amitesh Kumar indicated that the trailer truck, loaded with iron beads, was heading toward Mumbai when the driver lost control around 5:45 PM at a location known as ‘Selfie Point.’ In total, 13 vehicles were affected, including cars, a minibus, and motorcycles.
Responding to the disaster, fire officials worked for two hours to extricate the victims from the wreckage. The intense heat and flames were fueled by the explosion of a compressed natural gas cylinder within the car, which further complicated rescue efforts.
Witness Sarang Navale recounted hearing a deafening noise before watching the larger truck collide with another vehicle, instantly resulting in an explosion. He rushed to help but could do little as the fire spread rapidly.
As road traffic came to a standstill, local traffic authorities rerouted vehicles to mitigate congestion on a highway that serves as a crucial link to Pune’s IT hub in Hinjewadi. Investigators have since initiated a forensic examination of the scene, and DNA analysis has been organized to assist in identifying the victims.
This incident marked a grim start to the year on this stretch of the highway, which has seen 18 fatalities in related accidents thus far. The focus now shifts to understanding the causes and implementing preventative measures for the safety of motorists traveling this busy route.