NAVI MUMBAI: Three persons were killed and two injured on the Mumbai-Pune Expressway near the Khopoli exit in the Bhor ghat area on Monday morning after a propylene gas tanker heading to Mumbai toppled over as the driver lost control on a downward gradient and slammed into cars headed in the opposite direction.
Around 11.45am, the tanker toppled to its side and the momentum saw it smash through the median and ram into two cars heading towards Pune. Two Pune passengers, including the CEO of a multinational ISO certification firm, who had hired a rental car and its driver, who was from Mumbai, were killed on the spot and the tanker driver sustained severe injuries. Another Mumbai resident driving a Verna also got minor injuries.
Traffic movement on both carriageways of the expressway were disrupted and was restored to normalcy only three hours later, said assistant police inspector Haresh Kalsekar of Khopoli police station.
“The two deceased passengers in the tourist-permit Hyundai Accent have been identified as Sagar Deshpande (51), the CEO, and Yogesh Singh (47), residents of Nigdi and Chikhli in Pune district, respectively. They were traveling in the cab from Mumbai towards their residence in Pune. The deceased cab driver has been identified as Mohammad Kayyum (35), a resident of Wadala,” said Shirish Pawar, senior inspector of Khopoli.
“Tanker driver Satyendra Tiwari, who hails from UP, and the other injured person in the Verna were hastened to MGM hospital, Kamothe,” added API Kalsekar. The Verna driver, identified as Sandeep Shirsat, said he would get a check-up at Hinduja hospital in Mumbai.
The toppled gas tanker had to be lifted using four cranes. The accident caused a 3km traffic snarl on the Pune-bound carriageway, and one lane of the Mumbai carriageway was used to clear it.
“Though the gas did not seem to have leaked, as a precautionary step, we summoned a chemical expert to ensure there was no leakage as propylene gas is flammable. As the tanker toppled sideways, the driver got stuck inside the cabin and was extricated with the help of the Devdoot rescue team,” said Pawar.