Five die in multi-vehicle pile-up on Mumbai-Goa highway; police work to clear traffic jam

Five people died in a vehicle pile-up accident on Mumbai-Goa highway at Mangaon town, Raigad district, early on Thursday.

The accident took place around 20km from Mahad, and 141km from Mumbai city.

The incident took place close to 6.30am, the state highway police said. “A truck, a tempo and a two-wheeler crashed into each other,” said a highway police official, who did not wish to be named.

Everyone involved in the accident — both the drivers and helpers from the truck and the tempo, as well as the driver of the two-wheeler — suffered severe injuries. While some of them died on the spot, others died on the way to hospital, the police official said.

“It is not clear how the accident took place. Our officials are on the spot and are removing the vehicles from the busy highway,” the official added.

Following the accident, the highway got jammed. The police have deployed additional manpower to handle the situation.