Thousands of commuters were left stranded for nearly 18 hours after a gas tanker overturned on the Mumbai-Pune Expressway, triggering one of the worst traffic jams seen on the busy route in recent times. The accident led to a complete shutdown of traffic on key stretches, creating chaos for motorists traveling between Mumbai and Pune.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The incident occurred on Tuesday evening and brought movement to a standstill across several kilometres, leaving families, bus passengers, and long-distance travelers stuck overnight without basic facilities.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The accident took place around 5 pm on Tuesday in the Khandala Ghat section of Raigad district. A tanker carrying highly flammable propylene gas reportedly lost control while descending a slope and overturned on the expressway.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Soon after the tanker turned turtle, gas began leaking from the vehicle. Given the hazardous nature of the cargo, authorities immediately treated the situation as a major emergency.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
As a safety precaution, officials shut down the Mumbai-bound carriageway of the expressway to prevent any spark or accident that could trigger a larger disaster. Traffic was stopped entirely near the accident site, and vehicles already on the stretch had no option but to wait.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The gas leak continued for several hours, making it impossible to clear the road quickly.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The closure resulted in a massive traffic jam stretching over 12 kilometres on both sides of the expressway. Hundreds of vehicles, including private cars, buses, and trucks, remained stuck through the night.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Passengers, including women, children, and elderly people, were left without access to food, drinking water, or toilet facilities. Many travelers spent the night inside their vehicles, unsure of when the road would reopen.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Emergency response teams from the National Disaster Response Force, State Disaster Response Force, and Bharat Petroleum Corporation Limited were rushed to the site to handle the dangerous situation.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Officials said that the tanker was carrying a large quantity of propylene gas, which needed to be released slowly and safely to avoid any explosion.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
By Wednesday morning, only about 50 percent of the gas had been safely released. The remaining gas was expected to take several more hours to neutralise.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Commuters took to social media to describe the situation as nightmarish. Several users shared photos and videos showing endless rows of vehicles stuck without movement.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
A Maharashtra State Road Transport Corporation bus conductor said their bus had been stranded for over six hours near the accident site by midnight. Passengers inside the bus were anxious, tired, and running out of food and water.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Many people urged others to avoid the expressway entirely unless travel was unavoidable.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
With the Mumbai-bound carriageway shut, authorities attempted to divert traffic onto the Pune-bound side for a short stretch. However, the ongoing gas leak made it unsafe to fully restore movement.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
As congestion worsened, traffic police began diverting vehicles to the old Mumbai-Pune Highway. Movement was regulated using intermittent blocks of 15 to 20 minutes, allowing small batches of vehicles to pass.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Despite these efforts, traffic continued to crawl, and long queues persisted.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Highway police said safety experts advised halting traffic for about five kilometres around the accident site while the gas leak was being handled. This precaution was necessary to protect motorists and emergency workers.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
As a result, the Mumbai-bound corridor near Khandala remained closed for extended periods, causing delays even for vehicles traveling towards Pune.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The Maharashtra Highway Traffic Police issued repeated appeals asking commuters to avoid the Mumbai-Pune Expressway until normal traffic movement resumes.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Officials said the operation to safely remove the tanker and completely stop the gas leak was being carried out on a war footing, but safety could not be compromised.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Motorists were advised to check traffic updates before starting their journey and consider alternative routes if possible.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The incident has once again raised concerns about the transport of hazardous materials on busy highways. Propylene gas is highly flammable, and even a small spark could have led to a major tragedy.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Experts say such incidents highlight the need for stricter monitoring of heavy vehicles, especially those carrying dangerous chemicals, along hilly and high-speed stretches.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The long traffic jam disrupted travel plans for thousands of people. Many missed work commitments, medical appointments, and connecting journeys.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Families traveling for vacations or personal reasons were forced to spend an uncomfortable night on the road, adding to stress and fatigue.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Authorities advise commuters to always check real-time traffic updates before traveling on major highways, especially during peak hours or adverse weather conditions.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Carrying essential supplies like water, snacks, and basic medicines during long drives can help manage unexpected delays.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The gas tanker accident on the Mumbai-Pune Expressway serves as a stark reminder of how a single incident can bring a vital transport corridor to a complete halt. While emergency teams worked tirelessly to manage the crisis, thousands of commuters paid the price in the form of long delays and discomfort.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
As cleanup operations continue and traffic slowly returns to normal, the focus now shifts to preventing such incidents in the future through better safety measures, stricter enforcement, and improved emergency response planning.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Mumbai-Pune Expressway Paralysed After Gas Tanker Accident Thousands of commuters were left stranded for nearly 18 hours after a gas tanker overturned on the Mumbai-Pune Expressway, triggering one of the worst traffic jams seen on the busy route in recent times. The accident led to a complete shutdown of traffic on key stretches, creating chaos […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":4842,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[30],"tags":[2806,2805,2807,2804,2803,2801,2802],"class_list":["post-4841","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-news","tag-expressway-closure","tag-gas-tanker-accident","tag-highway-safety-india","tag-khandala-ghat-accident","tag-maharashtra-traffic-update","tag-mumbai-pune-expressway","tag-traffic-jam-mumbai-pune"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/thebombaydurpun.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4841","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/thebombaydurpun.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/thebombaydurpun.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/thebombaydurpun.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/thebombaydurpun.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=4841"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/thebombaydurpun.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4841\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":4843,"href":"https:\/\/thebombaydurpun.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4841\/revisions\/4843"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/thebombaydurpun.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/4842"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/thebombaydurpun.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=4841"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/thebombaydurpun.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=4841"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/thebombaydurpun.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=4841"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}