Bus carrying 51 rams into tractor on Mumbai-Pune expressway; 5 dead, 43 injured

The passengers were en route to Pandharpur for the Ashadhi Ekadashi festival. The incident occurred approximately 5.5 kilometres along the Pune-bound lane

Navi Mumbai: An accident on the Mumbai-Pune expressway claimed five lives and left 43 injured, with five in critical condition, when a bus carrying 51 people collided with a tractor and plunged into a ditch shortly after midnight on Tuesday.

A bus carrying 51 people collided with a tractor and plunged into a ditch shortly after midnight on Tuesday. HT Photo/Bachchan Kumar

The bus passengers, devotees of Lord Vitthal known as Warkaris, were en route to Pandharpur for the Ashadhi Ekadashi festival. The incident occurred approximately 5.5 kilometres along the Pune-bound lane of the expressway in the Panvel area.

According to police reports, a tractor driven by Tarvez Salauddin Ahmed, 28, from Uttar Pradesh, was travelling at high speed in the expressway's first lane when a Jayashree Travels bus, operated by Sanjay Patil, 54, approached from behind. Tractors are prohibited on the expressway.

The speeding bus driver attempted to overtake the tractor but lost control, resulting in a collision. The impact caused the tractor to skid 100 feet and split in two. The bus crashed through the left-side railing and toppled into a 10-15 foot ditch.

Ahmed and an unidentified tractor passenger were killed instantly. Three bus passengers—Gurunath Babu Patil, 70, Ramdas Narayan Mukadam, 70, and Hansabai Hari Patil—also died at the scene.

Five passengers sustained critical injuries: Baburao Dharma Bhoir, 70, Mama Pogya Bhoir, 70, Ganpat Salunkhe, 60, Sanjay Bapurao Patil, 63, and Suman Salunkhe, 60. An additional 38 passengers suffered minor injuries, while five emerged unscathed.

Navi Mumbai Deputy Commissioner of Police (Zone II) Vivek Pansare stated, "Five persons died in the accident, including two travelling in the tractor and three in the bus. There were 51 people in the bus from Dombivli towards Pandharpur. Forty injured passengers were sent to MGM hospital in Kamothe, and three to a government hospital. Five bus passengers escaped without any injury."

Chief Minister Eknath Shinde visited the injured passengers at MGM hospital in Kamothe.

Authorities removed the vehicles using a crane, restoring traffic on the expressway after a three-hour delay. Various agencies, including the Highway Traffic Police, IRB Patrolling, CIDCO Fire Brigade, and local police forces, assisted at the scene.

Rajaram Patil, son of the deceased Hansabai Hari, 65, shared that villagers from Nilje, near Dombivali city, have maintained a 20-year tradition of participating in the Pandharpur pilgrimage during Wari. Preparations begin a week in advance, with the ₹1,200 cost covering food and transport—a subsidised rate for the Warkaris.

"All residents from our village go for Wari every year, and this year was no different. Although I never personally visited, my mother wouldn't heed my advice to stay back. So, like every year I ensured that she was prepared for the journey," said Rajaram. “But at 1:30am, I received a devastating call about the accident. When I reached the hospital, I discovered she had passed away. I am overwhelmed with sorrow and find it difficult to put into words.”