Death toll in tanker explosion incident on Mumbai-Pune E-way rises to 5

The death toll in the fire and explosion of a chemical-laden tanker on the Pune-Mumbai Expressway a day ago rose to five after a 39-year-old man succumbed to injuries in a hospital, police said

The death toll in the fire and explosion of a chemical-laden tanker on the Pune-Mumbai Expressway a day ago rose to five after a 39-year-old man succumbed to injuries in a Pune-based hospital on Wednesday, police said.

The tanker had caught fire and exploded on the expressway on Tuesday, leading to the death of four people, including a mother-son duo and their kin. Three others had suffered injuries in the incident.

One Ganesh Kolaskar, who was inside a sports utility vehicle (SUV) that was under the bridge on which a chemical-laden tanker caught fire, was injured after balls of fire fell on his vehicle due to which it also caught fire, the police said.

"Kolaskar sustained 60 per cent burn injuries and was rushed to the hospital. However, he succumbed to his injuries today. This took the death toll in the accident to five," an official from Lonavala police station said. The accident took place on a stretch between Lonavala and Khandala hill stations on the 91-km-long expressway, an official said. Savita Ware (35), her son Kushal (9) and her nephew Ritesh Koshire (16), who was on a motorcycle below, died while one occupant from the tanker died, the police said. Police have registered an offence against the tanker driver, who is also injured and currently undergoing treatment. The tanker was going towards Mumbai carrying ethanol, they added.