The Bangladeshi nationals, arrested in the Mumbai metropolitan region for illegal stay, were being taken to the Pune airport for deportation when the accident took place, an official said
The injured police officials were part of a team of officials who were on way to Pune airport to process the deportation of 12 Bangladeshi nationals. Representational Pic/File
As many as eighteen police officials and 12 Bangladeshi nationals were injured in a pile-up of police convoy vehicles on the Mumbai-Pune Expressway in Raigad district of Maharashtra on Wednesday morning, officials said, reported the PTI.
The accident took place after one of the vehicles suddenly applied brakes in a tunnel on the Mumbai-Pune Expressway, they said.
The injured police officials were part of a team of officials who were on way to Pune airport to process the deportation of 12 Bangladeshi nationals.
The Bangladeshi nationals, arrested in the Mumbai Metropolitan Region (MMR) for illegal stay, were being taken to the Pune airport for deportation, they said, according to the PTI.
One of the police personnel is in a serious condition following the accident, an official said.
"The incident occurred around 8 am inside the Bhatan tunnel on the Mumbai-Pune Expressway near Rasayani in Raigad district. Eight police vehicles, which were part of the convoy of Mumbai, Thane, Mira Bhayandar and Navi Mumbai police, were on the way to the Pune airport," he said, as per the PTI.
Twelve Bangladeshi nationals, who were arrested earlier for illegal stay and were lodged in various jails, were being taken to the Pune airport for deportation, he said.
The driver of one of the police vehicles suddenly applied brakes when it reached the tunnel, which led to five other vehicles in the convoy to hit each other, which created a pile-up, he said.
"At least 18 police personnel and 12 Bangladeshi nationals sustained injuries in the accident," the official said, adding that a personnel of the Protection Branch of the Mumbai police is in a critical condition.
All the injured persons were rushed to the MGM Hospital in Navi Mumbai and are undergoing treatment, he said.
The accident led to a heavy traffic jam on the expressway for some time and the movement of vehicles was restored after the vehicles were towed away from the spot, the police official said, the news agency reported.
A case is being registered at the Rasayani police station in Raigad, he said, adding that senior police officials visited the injured police personnel at the hospital.
(with PTI inputs)
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