A woman was killed and eighteen others were injured in a multi-vehicle pile-up on the Mumbai-Pune Expressway on Saturday. The incident took place near the Adoshi tunnel under the Khopoli police station limits in Khalapur taluka of Raigad district, news agency PTI reported.
“The driver of the container trailer truck lost control of the vehicle after brake failure. It hit at least 20 vehicles, including luxury cars like BMW and Mercedes, resulting in serious injuries to 19 persons. They were admitted to a private hospital in Navi Mumbai. Of these, a woman died while undergoing treatment,” the official said.
“The driver was taken into custody by Khopoli police. However, a medical examination has shown he was not under the influence of alcohol at the time of the incident. A case has been registered and further probe is underway,” he added.
Traffic came to a standstill on the Mumbai-Pune Expressway on Saturday after a major pile-up near Datta Food Mall, shortly after the descent from the Lonavala-Khandala ghat section.
According to local reports, a speeding container truck is believed to have suffered brake failure and rammed into a vehicle, setting off a chain-reaction crash involving 18 to 20 vehicles.
The accident occurred on one of India’s busiest expressways, which carries around 1.5 to 2 lakh vehicles daily — with even higher numbers on weekends.
The collision caused a traffic jam stretching nearly five kilometres, leaving hundreds of vehicles stranded. The impact was particularly severe — at least three vehicles were completely crushed, while many others were heavily damaged. Several passengers reportedly sustained serious injuries.
Emergency services were quickly deployed to assist the injured and clear the debris. Traffic was brought to a complete halt, and authorities were forced to divert vehicles through alternate routes.
Police and local officials remained at the spot, working round the clock to manage the situation and restore normalcy.