48 vehicles damaged in Pune-bengaluru highway accident

Over 40 vehicles were severely damaged in a road accident that occurred in Pune on Sunday evening, officials said. The accident took place on the Pune-bengaluru highway. “A major road accident occurred at Navale bridge in which about 48 vehicles got damaged. Rescue teams from the Pune Fire Brigade and Pune Metropolitan Region Development Authority have reached the spot,” said Pune fire brigade officials. The driver of the truck, which hit several vehicles had apparently switched off its engine on a bridge slope resulting in the accident, a police official said on Monday. Switching off the engine affects the vehicle's braking ability and this possibly resulted in the truck hitting other vehicles on the bridge slope, as per a probe conducted into the accident by the Regional Transport Office, he said. More than 20 people suffered injuries in the accident and eight of them were hospitalised, an official said.