Two dead and over 30 people injured in separate accidents near Kamshet tunnel
Two dead and over 30 people injured in separate accidents near Kamshet tunnelu00a0
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The Pune-Mumbai Expressway saw three serious accidents in three hours last morning, resulting in the death of two people and injuries to more than 30. All three accidents occurred on what has come to be called the killer stretch near the Kamshet tunnel.
A private luxury Volvo bus hit a stationary container truck near Bahurgaon around 12.30 am. The bus was on its way to the city from Mumbai and had passed the Kamshet tunnel. Before that, a container from Rajasthan (RJ GB 3681) had stopped on the road. The bus banged into the container and the bus driver died on the spot, while 30 passengers were injured. A passenger died later, in hospital.
The police identified the deceased as Ravindra Bhimsha Dalal (32), a resident of Akkalkot village in Solapur district. The other death was that of Utpal Nilashekhar (23), a resident of Sagar Society in Sainik Estate. He succumbed to his injuries around 11.30 am in Lokmanya hospital, said doctors.
"The accident was a result of rash and negligent driving," said investigating officer Baba Kadam. "The bus driver was killed on the spot, while other injured passengers were rescued quickly. Two of them are still in the intensive care unit, while others were discharged."
The second accident happened around 3 am when a container and a truck had a collision near Somatne Phata. "The truck was from Karnataka and the driver is seriously injured in the accident and was immediately shifted to the Lokmanya hospital of Nigdi," said S R Athavale, an officer from the Talegaon police station. "His identity is yet to be established."
Car on fireAthavale said there was another accident on the killer stretch, which records the maximum number of accidents and landslides every year. In the third accident, a car caught fire and three people were injured in the incident.
"A Santro also suddenly caught fire near the toll collection booth around 1.40 am. Three people sitting in the car were injured in the incident, but they were rescued soon," said Athavale. "The reason behind the blaze is not known."
