8 People Dead, At Least 20 Injured After Car Sandwiched Between 2 Trucks Explodes on Busy Highway

NEED TO KNOW

• Eight people have died and multiple others have been injured after a truck lost control and plowed into other vehicles on a busy highway in India

• A car ended up being sandwiched between the truck and another traveling on the highway before bursting into flames

• The five passengers in the car — two men, two women and a 3-year-old girl — were among the dead

Eight people have died and multiple others have been injured after a truck lost control and plowed into other vehicles on a busy highway in India, according to local media reports.

The incident occurred on the evening of Thursday, Nov. 13, at around 5:45 p.m. local time, after a Mumbai-bound trailer truck hit at least 13 vehicles on the Bhumkar Bridge-Navale Bridge stretch of the busy Pune-Bengaluru highway, according to The Times of India.

A car ended up being sandwiched between the truck and another traveling on the highway before bursting into flames, the outlet stated.

The five passengers in the car — two men, two women and a 3-year-old girl — were among the dead, per the publication. The driver and passenger of the trailer truck that crashed into the vehicles are also believed to have died.

The burnt wreckage of the car could be seen in a video shared by the Pune Municipal Corporation government’s Instagram page, which showed authorities at the scene of the accident.

“Pune Municipal Corporation and Fire Department have immediately reached the scene and started aid after the accident at Navale Bridge,” the caption read.

Local police deputy commissioner, Sambhaji Kadam, said the accident occurred after the brakes on the truck failed while descending a steep slope on the highway, according to the Hindustan Times.

“The death toll has climbed to eight. Some of the deceased have been identified. Also, at least 20 persons were injured and undergoing treatment,” he said, per the outlet, adding, “During the bizarre incident, a small car trapped between two trucks was completely crushed.”

Pune police commissioner Amitesh Kumar said the truck had lost control before crashing into the vehicles, stating, “The impact was so severe that it sandwiched a car between two heavy vehicles, causing a massive fire that led to multiple deaths. The injured were taken to nearby hospitals, including Sassoon General Hospital,” per The Times of India.

Local fire department chief, Devendra Potphode, said they’d received a call about the accident at around 6 p.m. local time, according to the Hindustan Times.

Never miss a story — sign up for PEOPLE’s free daily newsletter to stay up-to-date on the best of what PEOPLE has to offer​​, from celebrity news to compelling human interest stories. 

Potphode said, “All forces were combined to control and extinguish the massive blaze. The heat was intense as the car was [Compressed Natural Gas] CNG-fueled, and although the fire didn’t spread rapidly at first, it was later aggravated by the combustion of CNG, diesel, and petrol,” per the outlet.

“Our first vehicle reached the spot within five minutes. Tragically, two women and a child were found on the rear seat of the car, while two men occupied the front seats. The truck driver and cleaner were also charred to death. It was an extremely difficult operation; the bodies were completely burnt and crushed, making the extraction a challenging task,” the officer added.

The Commissioner of Police for Pune City Police Department spoke about the tragedy in an X post, writing, alongside a photo, “Sincere condolences on the tragic incident at Navale Bridge. My thoughts are with families who have lost their loved ones.”

He added that Pune City police officials were on the ground and “assisting the ongoing rescue and support operations.”

Police also wrote in a Facebook post on Thursday, “A heartfelt tribute to all the citizens who died in an accident at Navale Bridge today,” adding, “Praying to God for the strength of their family to recover from this pain.”

Pune City Police didn’t immediately respond when contacted by PEOPLE for additional information.

Read the original article on People