Palm Oil Tanker Overturns and Catches Fire on Mumbai-Pune Expressway Near Khopoli
A tanker transporting palm oil overturned and caught fire on the Mumbai-Pune Expressway near Khopoli on Saturday afternoon, trapping its driver inside the cabin. The driver was rescued without serious injuries following a joint emergency operation.
The accident occurred at around 12.20 pm at kilometre 35 on the Mumbai-bound carriageway. The tanker was travelling from Bengaluru towards Taloja when it overturned across lanes three and four. The driver, identified as 27-year-old Irshad Ahmed Rehman, a resident of Basti in Uttar Pradesh, was trapped inside the cabin.
According to the driver, the vehicle's brakes failed, leading to overheating before the tanker overturned. He stated that one of the tyres caught fire first, with the flames subsequently spreading to the tanker's chamber and cabin. Police noted that the low-grade palm oil being transported was not flammable.
Teams from Khopoli Police Station, Borghat Highway Traffic Police, IRB patrolling, and the Help Foundation launched an immediate rescue operation. Emergency responders successfully pulled Rehman from the cabin. He sustained minor injuries and was shifted to MGM Hospital in an ambulance from Lokmanya Hospital for treatment.
Fire brigade teams from the Khopoli Municipal Council and AMNS Company reached the scene and extinguished the blaze within approximately 30 minutes. While lanes three and four were blocked by the overturned tanker, vehicular movement continued through lanes one and two.
Help Foundation chemical expert Dhananjay Geedh was called to assess the situation and guide response teams regarding the transported material. Borghat Assistant Police Inspector Swapnil Patil and Inspector Sachin Hire supervised the rescue and traffic management operations, assisted by the Delta Force, Maharashtra Security Force, and IRB patrolling teams.
A crane was used to remove the tanker from the roadway within about an hour of the fire being extinguished, fully restoring traffic on the Mumbai-bound carriageway.
Khopoli Police Inspector Sachin Hire confirmed that the driver escaped without serious injuries. Police are registering a case against the driver for rash driving and causing danger to his life and the lives of other road users.
