2 killed, 16 injured after buses collide on Mumbai-Pune expressway

The accident took place near Madap Bridge in Khalapur area, 26 km on the Pune lane, at around 8am. The passengers of the mini luxury bus were heading to Mahabaleshwar from Vasai.

A minibus crashed into a stationary luxury coach on the Mumbai-Pune expressway, killing two and injuring the remaining 18 occupants of the minibus, early on Monday, said the police.

The accident took place near Madap Bridge in Khalapur area, 26 km on the Pune lane, at around 8am. (HT Photo)

According to the highway police, the passengers of the minibus were two families from Vasai heading to Mahabaleshwar for a vacation.

The driver, Shekhar Rohidas Kamble, 52, from Vasai, and Joseph Manuel Serejo, 63, who was sitting next to him, died on the spot. Two of the injured are critical. The accident took place near Madap Bridge in Khalapur, on a Pune-bound lane, around 8 am.

Sunil Pujari, assistant police inspector, highway police, said, “The driver of a private luxury coach from Gujarat had parked the vehicle on the service lane for a toilet break. The minibus rammed into the coach, which also had passengers, from behind.”

A Khalapur police station officer said Kamble has been booked as prima facie he was responsible. Further investigations are on. Amit Sawant, a police naik from Khalapur station, said, “Kamble hit the luxury bus in the service lane, where he was not supposed to drive. Hence, he has been booked for negligence causing death.”

According to Dr KR Salgotra, medical superintendent, MGM Hospital, Kamothe, “Eighteen injured passengers were brought to our hospital. Two are in critical condition.”

Ashley D’Penha, 30, one of the injured, who got married on May 12, said, “We all got hurt. My wife fractured her hand and my sister also hurt herself. We somehow got back on our feet and broke the rear windscreen with a steel rod. We then evacuated everyone from the bus from there as the front portion was completely smashed.”

A relative of the passengers, Onil D’Mello, 55, said, “We learnt that the driver had made a trip to Mahabaleshwar and returned today [Monday]at 4am. He then took our relatives around 6 am.”