Two Pile-Ups in Bhatan Tunnel on Mumbai-Pune Expressway Injure Two

Two multi-vehicle pile-ups occurred inside the Bhatan tunnel on the Pune-bound carriageway of the Mumbai-Pune Expressway on Saturday morning, leaving two people injured and five vehicles damaged.

The mishaps occurred at an interval of 30 minutes between 8:30 am and 9:15 am. The vehicles involved in the collisions included two cars, a Maharashtra State Road Transport Corporation (MSRTC) bus, and two private luxury buses.

Teams from the Rasayani police and the Highway Safety Patrol rushed to the scene immediately after receiving the information. Officers cleared the tunnel pathway to remove the damaged vehicles and streamline the flow of vehicular movement.

According to Abhijit Bhujbal, senior inspector of the Rasayani police, the first crash took place around 8:30 am inside the Bhatan tunnel. Heavy rains and a traffic snarl had caused vehicular movement heading towards Pune to slow down near Bhatan.

As the vehicles entered the tunnel, a private luxury bus rammed into the rear of a car. The impact forced that vehicle to crash into another car positioned ahead of it, bringing traffic inside the tunnel to a complete standstill.

Police teams were dispatched to the spot after being alerted via wireless transmission. By the time officers arrived, one of the cars involved had already left the scene. The driver of the damaged car, in which a senior citizen woman suffered minor injuries, stated that he did not wish to lodge a formal police complaint.