A ln accident on the Mumbai-Pune Expressway near Khopoli claimed the lives of two women — a 17-year-old girl and a 30-year-old woman — after a Swift car was crushed between a bus and a trailer. The accident occurred around 4 PM near the 37-kilometer mark in the Mumbai-bound lane and involved multiple vehicles, including a truck, three buses, and three cars.
According to preliminary reports, the Swift car was completely mangled in the crash, trapping seven passengers inside. The deceased have been identified as Ashwini Akshay Haldankar (30), a resident of Mumbai, and Shreya Santosh Avatade (17). The driver of the car, Akshay Haldankar, sustained injuries and is receiving treatment at Jagruti Hospital in Khopoli.
Four other passengers from the car — Vasudha Vijay Jadhav (36) from Kolhapur, Sarika Avatare (38) from Ghatkopar, nine years old Sarika Vijay Jadhav, and three year old Avneesh Vijay Jadhav — were seriously injured and have been admitted to MGM Hospital in Kamothe.
The injured and the site of the accident | File Image
The accident resulted in a traffic jam on the busy highway for over an hour. The situation was brought under control with the prompt response of the IRB patrol team, Devdoot system, Maharashtra Security Force, Khopoli Police, staff from Lokmanya Hospital, and volunteers from Help Foundation. Borghat Police officials, under the guidance of Police Inspector Shendge, and Khopoli Police, led by Police Inspector Sheetal Raut and API Gadade, are investigating the incident.
All vehicles involved in the accident were removed from the road, and the traffic was resumed.
"Prima facie, the trailer driver list control over the vehicle and rammed onto the divider, followed by rest of the vehicles behind crashed into each other. The swift car was between the trailer and a bus and got crushed between them causing death of two. We have booked the trailer driver in the accident," DySP Vikram Kadam (Khalapur division), said.
