3 killed, 4 hurt in Pune-Mumbai expressway mishaps

In four different accidents that took place on the Pune-Mumbai expressway on Thursday, three people were killed and four others sustained minor injuries. It was for the second consecutive day that mishaps took place on the busy lifeline.

On Wednesday, three people lost their lives and eight sustained injuries when a Tavera, in which they were travelling, collided with a stationary truck.

The highway police said the four mishaps took place between midnight and early morning on Thursday. The first incident took place near a tunnel in Khandala, when a Mumbai-bound truck hit a boulder around 1 am.

“Two people, whose identities could not be established, travelling by the truck died on the spot. Its driver Santosh Gaikwad and cleaner Gajanan Chavan sustained injuries,” the police said.
The second mishap took place around 5 am when a truck laden with sugar bags turned turtle and caught fire after hitting the divider near Shirgaon.

The truck driver and the cleaner jumped out of the vehicle, but sustained minor injuries.

An hour later, another accident occurred near Khopoli involving a Tempo, a crane and a pick-up van. The driver of the van, Subhash Nivruti Kumkar, 22, a resident of Junnar, was killed on the spot.

The fourth mishap took place at 7 am near Kivale when a container fell into a ditch while the driver was reversing the vehicle. He escaped to safety.