Eight Killed In Fiery Multi-Vehicle Collision Near Pune's Navale Bridge

Pune: Two containers rammed into each other on the Navale bridge near Pune, on Thursday. Four vehicles got caught in this horrific accident killing an entire family, as three vehicles blew up in flames. Around 15-20 people have been injured and are undergoing treatment in Navale while few others have been shifted to the Sasoon Hospital, in Pune.

Two drivers from the containers and a family of five in a car were killed on the spot. The death toll has now increased to 8. Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis expressed his deep sympathies and announced a compensation of Rs 5 lakh to the kin of the deceased.

Locals at the scene of the accident. (ETV Bharat)

This bridge is on the highway from Satara to Pune, when a container trailing another dashed into the one in front. At that time, a car was on the side of this trailing container. As soon as this container rammed into the container in front, it shot up in flames, engulfing this car on its side, killing the drivers of both containers and all the people in the car. Other vehicles too were impacted, injuring 15-20 people. The fire brigade team reached the spot after this accident and the injured immediately shifted to the nearby hospitals in Navale and Pune.

The entire side on the highway going towards to Mumbai was shutdown, after this accident as the fire would have impacted more people. There have been many accidents on this particular highway in the last few years.

Two male drivers from the containers, two males from the car, two females and one girl died in this accident. This family lived in Dhairi village in Pune. They had gone to offer prayers at Narayanpur to their family deity on Thursday and were returning home when suddenly their vehicle got caught in this ghastly accident, killing them all. The tiny girl lived in Chikhli and had gone with her father's friend's family to visit Narayanpur, along with them. However, she too died, as she was returning in the vehicle that was caught up in flames.

The fire brigade received a call on Thursday evening, at approximately, 5.40 pm, informing them that three vehicles had caught fire. Rescue vans and tankers were deployed from the headquarters, Simhagadh, Navale, Katraj and Erandwana. Along with these, a rescue van and a fire tanker were sent from the Pune Metropolitan Region Development Authority (PMRDA).

In all, eight fire engines were rushed to the spot. The fire brigade notified, two containers were set ablaze and a few other vehicles were caught in those flames, with one car that was totally burnt. After the trailing container hit the other in front, there was a sudden pileup of a few other vehicles. A team of 40 firemen were on the ground, battling the flames to douse the fire and save people caught in this accident," said Devendra Potfode, the Chief Fire Officer.

Rohit Pawar, legislator of NCP (Sharadchandra Pawar), demanded, "The government needs to act immediately and provide a solution for this black spot on Navale bridge. There have been several horrible accidents that have killed many for no fault of theirs. Citizens are facing a huge problem due to the traffic caused by heavy vehicles that have caused accidents time and again. The government needs to serious cognisance of this problem."

Records show in the last eight years, 80 people have been killed in over 200 accidents on this Navale bridge. After the latest shocking accident, Union Minister of State for Civil Aviation, Murlidhar Mohol, told reporters, "Inspection has been carried out at this accident-prone spot and efforts are being taken to work out a permanent solution."

Mohol, who is a MP from Pune, went with a team of state officials to understand the layout, to see the treacherous accident-prone spot on the Satara-Pune section of the Navale bridge.

Mohol expressed anguish and said the accident on Thursday was extremely unfortunate. "It is extremely unfortunate, and we have immediately undertaken an exercise to provide a solution. When the big accident took place in 2022, we ensured certain measures were implemented as a solution," he said.

"Every time we have tried to address the problems effectively. Today, a team of officials have visited the accident site with me, and some steps are being taken immediately," he said. Since then, speed guns along with rubber, plastic rumblers were installed around this spot.
An urgent meeting of the concerned departments has been called on Saturday.

He said that eight people died. The government will now build a corridor from Narhe to Ravet, and the DPR has been readied for the same. "*(Union) Minister Nitin Gadkari has also taken interest and wants to ensure the work on this corridor will begin soon. I will be meeting him to update him about this accident," Mohol added.