Gas tanker overturns, cripples traffic overnight on Mumbai-Pune Expressway

Traffic was paralysed overnight on the Mumbai-Pune Expressway after a gas tanker overturned in the Khandala Ghat section, leaving hundreds of vehicles stranded and causing massive congestion on both carriageways, officials said on Wednesday.

The vehicles remained stationary near the accident site for several hours, with passengers deprived of food, water, and toilet facilities.

According to the expressway control room, the Mumbai-bound traffic was diverted onto the Pune-bound carriageway for about a 2-km stretch due to the gas tanker accident that occurred on Tuesday evening.

However, normal movement could not be restored due to a continuous gas leak from the tanker, resulting in long queues and crawling traffic for over 12 hours, even for Pune-bound motorists, an official said.

The impact was severe on motorists, with several passengers stranded for hours.

As per the expressway control room, the tanker overturned on the Mumbai-Pune Expressway at around 5 pm on Tuesday.

The incident occurred near the Adoshi tunnel in Raigad district when the tanker, allegedly travelling at high speed, lost control due to the slope and overturned. Soon after the accident, gas was found leaking from the tanker, causing panic among motorists, an official said.

The tanker was carrying propylene gas, which is highly flammable. As a precautionary measure, the police immediately closed traffic towards Mumbai to prevent any untoward incident.

"People have been stuck and desperately waiting for help. Please do something," wrote X user VyasKarn.

A conductor of the Maharashtra State Road Transport Corporation (MSRTC) bus told PTI around midnight that their vehicle had been stationary for over six hours near the accident site, leaving passengers without food, water and toilet facilities.

Many motorists voiced their frustration on social media, with some describing the expressway as a "parking lot" and advising others to avoid travel unless necessary.

"Mumbai-Pune Expressway is a literal parking lot right now. Traffic crawling for hours near Lonavala and Khandala due to a truck overturn. If you absolutely don't have to travel, don't," wrote X user pranav_72.

The Pune-bound motorists were also inconvenienced due to the traffic snarls.

"Started my journey from Andheri West around 7 pm via cab. Will be reaching Pune around 3.40 am. Worst traffic experience I ever had," another X user, Sohit Manik, wrote.