Pune-Mumbai Expressway Accident: Private Bus and Tempo Crash Injures 23 Passengers

Lonavala, 18th October 2024: A private passenger bus collided with a tempo on the Pune-Mumbai Expressway between Devale and Aundhe Bridge near Lonavala early Thursday morning (17th October) at around 5 am. The accident caused temporary disruption of traffic heading towards Mumbai.

According to information provided by the Lonavala Rural Police, the incident occurred when the driver of a private bus carrying passengers from Kolhapur to Borivali lost control of the vehicle, resulting in a collision with an oncoming tempo. The bus suffered significant damage, and 23 passengers were injured. Among the injured, 11 sustained serious injuries, with the condition of three passengers reported as critical. The injured are currently receiving treatment at Pavana Hospital in Somatne.

The injured passengers have been identified as Asia Ayaz Tamboli (45) from Sangli, Phulabai Srikant Kale (65) from Mumbai, bus driver Dinkar Dongre (50), assistant driver Vishal Mane (25), Sanjay Srikant Kale (40), Sanjay Shivaji Bhosle (50), Mangal Suresh Sutar (60), Amol Ramchandra Patil (31), Priya Sushant Sutar (34), Vaibhav Raghunath Jadhav (35), Shubham Hemant Chimgaonkar (20), Deepak Prakash Gaikwad (48), Kiran Balasaheb Kale (49), Saibai Jairam Shelke (36), Kumar Rajmohamed Sheikh (25), and Prithvi Sanjay Devkate (25), all residents of Kolhapur. Additional injured include Santosh Jagannath Raut (49) from Dhankawadi, Pune; Jignesh Ramesh Shah (49) from Gujarat; Navina Atul Patole (23) and Atul Baban Patole (30) from Nerul; Sunita Subhash Pol (55) from Bhandup, Mumbai; and Swapnil Harindrasingh Sodi (34) from Thane.

Upon receiving reports of the accident, Assistant Police Inspector Vijay Shete of the Khandala Highway, Police Sub-Inspector Prashant Aware from the Lonavala Rural Police Station, and police constables Vijay Gale, Sitaram Bokad, and the Devdoot emergency team promptly arrived at the scene.

Recognizing the seriousness of the situation, the police, with assistance from the Devdoot emergency team, transported all the injured passengers to a private hospital in Somatne for immediate treatment. Meanwhile, those with minor injuries were treated on-site. Subsequently, the damaged bus was moved to the side of the road with the help of a crane, allowing traffic to resume. The Lonavala Rural Police are conducting a further investigation into the incident.