Video: Massive 12-km jam on Mumbai-Pune Expressway, vehicles stuck for 18 hours
Traffic movement on the Mumbai–Pune Expressway was thrown into chaos for 18 hours after a gas tanker turned turtle, resulting in a massive jam extending more than 12 kilometres and leaving hundreds of vehicles stranded overnight.
Traffic on the Mumbai-Pune Expressway was severely disrupted for 18 hours after a gas tanker overturned on the stretch, triggering a massive traffic jam stretching over 12 kilometres and leaving hundreds of vehicles stranded overnight.
The accident occurred around 5 pm on Tuesday in the Khandala Ghat section in Raigad district when a tanker carrying highly flammable propylene gas allegedly lost control on a slope and turned turtle. Soon after, gas began leaking from the vehicle, prompting authorities to shut the Mumbai-bound carriageway as a precaution.
With the leak continuing, emergency response teams from the National Disaster Response Force (NDRF), State Disaster Response Force (SDRF) and Bharat Petroleum Corporation Limited (BPCL) were deployed to contain the situation. Officials said only about 50 per cent of the gas had been safely released by Wednesday morning, and the operation to neutralise the remaining load was likely to continue till late evening.
The prolonged closure brought traffic to a standstill on both sides of the 94.5-km access-controlled expressway, which connects Mumbai with Pune. Vehicles remained stationary near the accident site through the night, leaving passengers — including women and children — without access to food, water or toilet facilities.
A Maharashtra State Road Transport Corporation (MSRTC) bus conductor told news agency PTI around midnight that their bus had been stuck for more than six hours near the accident site. Several commuters took to social media to share their ordeal, describing the expressway as a “parking lot” and urging others to avoid travel unless absolutely necessary.
Due to the closure, the Mumbai-bound traffic was diverted onto the Pune-bound carriageway for a short stretch, but the continuous gas leak prevented full restoration of movement. As congestion worsened, authorities began diverting vehicles to the old Mumbai–Pune Highway and regulating flow with intermittent blocks of 15 to 20 minutes.
Highway police said experts had advised halting traffic for about 5 km around the accident site to ensure safety while the gas was being handled. The Mumbai-bound corridor near Khandala remained closed, causing long queues and slow movement even for Pune-bound motorists.
The Maharashtra Highway Traffic Police have appealed to commuters to avoid the Mumbai-Pune Expressway until normal traffic resumes, as operations to safely remove the tanker and contain the gas leak continue on a war footing.