Four killed in car-tanker crash on Mumbai-Pune Expressway

Four members of a family were killed and two others injured when their speeding car rammed into a tanker on the Mumbai-Pune Expressway in the early hours of Friday, police said.

The accident took place around 5 am near Pansheel village in Rasayani in neighbouring Raigad district, when the car, heading towards Mumbai, rammed into a tanker which was in the front, an official said.

Akshay Kokare, who was driving the car, apparently lost control of the vehicle, leading to the accident, he said.

Kokare and three women passengers -- all related to him -- were killed on the spot, he added.

Two other passengers were injured and taken to MGM Hospital in Panvel by local police with the help of highway police and Delta Force personnel, the official said.

Delta Force is a specialised unit deployed on the Expressway to help local police in checking crime and curbing accidents on one of the busiest road segments in the country.

Besides Kokare, Savita Mote, Rani Kharje and her daughter Ria were killed in the accident.

Shobha Pukale, one of the injured passengers, was on ventilator and battling for life, the official said.

The family was returning to Mumbai after attending a wedding at Sangli in western Maharashtra, he said.

Kokare worked as a driver with a transport company and the car belonged to the firm.

The bodies were handed over to relatives after autopsy.

The six-lane 94-km Mumbai-Pune Expressway is popular with motorists traveling between the two cities and beyond, but has witnessed accidents with alarming regularity.