Container with six SUVs, truck gutted in fire after accident on Pune-Bangalore highway, no casualties

A truck and a multi-axle container were heavily damaged and the six high-end SUVs and large cloth rolls they were transporting were completely gutted as the two heavy vehicles caught fire after their accident in Khambatki Ghat on Pune-Bangalore Highway in Satara district of Maharashtra Sunday. No casualties were reported in the accident. The mishap also led to a traffic jam in the ghat section, prompting the police to divert the traffic to the opposite corridor on the highway.

The Khambatki Ghat is located on the Pune to Satara stretch of the Pune-Bangalore Highway and has a one-way traffic flow. For the traffic coming from the opposite direction, a one-way Khambatki tunnel is used. The ghat is located around 70 kilometre from Pune and 40 kilometre from Satara city.

The accident occurred near Datta Mandir in Khambatki Ghat around 1 pm Sunday. Officials said that the truck carrying rolls of cloth had suffered a brake failure. Near Datta Mandir, the truck's reverse movement could not be controlled by the driver and it hit a multi-axle container carrying six MG Hector SUVs. "The rear end of the truck hit the fuel tank of the container, starting a fire.

The fire quickly spread to the two vehicles," said Mahesh Ingale, in charge of the Khandala police station in Satara district. After receiving information about the fire, the police called in fire tenders from nearby government bodies and factories. Because of the high traffic flow on account of being a Sunday, the accident led to heavy traffic congestion in the ghat section.

By the time the fire tenders reached the spot, both vehicles had suffered heavy damage. The drivers and cleaners of both vehicles had deboarded in time and the area was cordoned off. The fire tenders brought the fire under control within 20 minutes.

Inspector Ingale said, "Six MG Hector SUVs which the container was transporting were gutted in the fire along with the container. The truck carrying cloth rolls suffered heavy damage... We diverted the traffic to the opposite corridor through the tunnel.

The normal traffic flow was restored around 5 pm."