Killed in twin Mumbai-Pune Expressway accidents near missing link stretch

3 people were killed and several others injured in two back-to-back accidents on the Mumbai-bound carriageway of the Mumbai-Pune Expressway near the newly inaugurated Missing Link section on Friday evening.

According to highway police, the first accident took place around 5.05 pm near Borghat shortly after the Missing Link tunnel stretch. A truck carrying paint material reportedly lost control, allegedly due to brake failure, and crashed into another truck and a container vehicle moving ahead of it.

The impact caused all three heavy vehicles to overturn on the expressway. Police said the truck driver and cleaner died on the spot, while two other drivers sustained serious injuries and were shifted to Khopoli Rural Hospital for treatment.

Authorities later recovered a third body from the accident site, though the identities of the deceased were yet to be officially confirmed till late Friday night.

The crash also led to a major spill of paint containers, powder bags and industrial colour material across all four lanes of the expressway, severely disrupting traffic movement.

Even as rescue and clearance operations were underway, a second accident occurred near the same stretch when a speeding private bus rammed into multiple cars stuck in the traffic jam caused by the earlier collision. Several passengers and motorists suffered minor injuries, while the bus driver was detained for questioning.

Rescue teams, highway police and IRB patrol units continued operations for several hours to clear the damaged vehicles and restore traffic movement.

The twin mishaps triggered massive congestion on the Mumbai-bound side of the expressway, with vehicle queues stretching nearly four kilometres. Many commuters remained stranded for hours amid heavy traffic.

The accidents are among the first major incidents reported near the Missing Link corridor since its inauguration on May 1. The project was designed to reduce travel time and bypass the accident-prone ghat section on the expressway.