In pics: How an accident brought Mumbai-Pune expressway to a halt for more than 30 hours

Commuters were stranded on the Mumbai-Pune Expressway for more than 30 hours after a tanker accident on Tuesday evening.

Published on: Feb 05, 2026 3:35 PM IST

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Published on Feb 05, 2026 3:35 PM

Vehicles stuck in a traffic jam on the Mumbai-Pune Expressway after a gas tanker overturned in the Khandala Ghat section, in Raigad district, Maharashtra, Wednesday. (PTI) (HT_PRINT)

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Traffic on the Mumbai-Pune Expressway remained severely disrupted for over 21 hours after a tanker carrying 20 tonnes of highly inflammable propylene gas overturned near the Adoshi Tunnel in the Khandala in Navi Mumbai on Wednesday. (HT PHOTO) (HT_PRINT)

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Pune-based industrialist Sudhir Mehta had to fly back to the city by helicopter after being stuck for nearly eight hours on the Mumbai–Pune Expressway. Mehta, who is the chairman of Pinnacle Industries and EKA Mobility, shared on X that he opted for an aerial return to Pune on Wednesday after prolonged delays on the highway. (HT PHOTO) (HT PHOTO)

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Traffic on the Mumbai-bound stretch of the Mumbai-Pune Expressway resumed early Thursday, officials said, nearly 33 hours after the tanker overturned in the Khandala Ghat section, as per PTI. (ANI Video Grab) (ANI Video Grab)

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The Mumbai-Pune Expressway, India’s first six-lane, access-controlled concrete toll road, stretches 94.5 km and links Mumbai, Raigad and Navi Mumbai with Pune. At the height of the disruption, queues of immobilised vehicles extended up to 20 km, leaving passengers, including women and children, stranded for hours without access to food, drinking water or toilet facilities. (HT PHOTO)

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An official from the Maharashtra State Road Development Corporation (MSRDC) said the overturned tanker was cleared from the accident spot at 1.46 am. The vehicle had met with the accident on the Mumbai-bound lane at around 5 pm on Tuesday. (HT PHOTO)

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The MSRDC official said the propylene gas was safely decanted from the overturned tanker into other vehicles late on Wednesday night, after which the damaged tanker was lifted using heavy-duty cranes. Traffic in the ghat section resumed in a phased manner once the clearance work was completed, although delays continued for some time due to several stranded heavy vehicles. Personnel from the NDRF, SDRF, Bharat Petroleum Corporation Ltd (BPCL), highway police and MSRDC were deployed at the site to handle the hazardous situation and ensure the safe transfer of gas and removal of the tanker, said PTI. (HT PHOTO)