The massive traffic jam on the Sion-Panvel highway has finally cleared, and it was apparently due to Mumbai's infamous problem - potholes!
Image of the accident site. Picture/Pavitra Sampath
The massive traffic jam on the Sion-Panvel highway has finally cleared after a three-hour long snarl on the route. We reported that a gas tanker had toppled on its side and was causing a severe traffic jam with vehicles being diverted.
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A recent report by Hindustan Times has revealed that the accident occurred because of a pothole. The Mumbai Police said that the driver was trying to avoid hitting a pothole and cause an accident but lost control of the tanker that toppled.
The capsule tanker was transporting gas and was traveling on the southbound stretch on Tuesday night at around 11:30 pm. After crossing Vashi, on the road towards Mankhurd, the driver spotted a pothole ahead of him. In an attempt to avoid the pothole he tried to move to the second lane but saw a car in front of him. A senior Mumbai traffic police officer said, "To avoid the pothole, the driver moved to the second lane on the Mankhurd brigade. However, at that exact moment, there was a light motor vehicle ahead of him. To avoid dashing into the vehicle, he swerved, but ended up losing control of the tanker."
Immediately after the accident, the traffic police and fire brigade rushed to the spot, but their attempts to lift the tanker using cranes were in vain. They then called in hippo and hydraulic cranes to move the tanker.
Namdeo Shinde, a senior inspector at Mankhurd traffic division, said, "The tanker was finally moved to a side around 8.45 am. Steps were taken to keep the traffic moving."
Several commuters took to Twitter to complain about the traffic snarls.
You can read more about the accident here.
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