Pune-Mumbai expressway accident: Death toll reaches 5

The tanker was carrying ethanol from sugar mill in Satara to depots in Vashi

The expressway bridge, where the accident took place, lies between the hill stations Lonavala and Khandala. (Express)

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The death toll in Tuesday’s accident on the Mumbai-Pune Expressway, when a tanker carrying ethanol overturned and caught fire, has risen to five with a 39-year-old man succumbing to burn injuries at Sassoon Hospital.

The latest victim has been identified as Ganesh Kolaskar, an Andheri-based driver with a tour operator. Inspector Sitaram Dubal of Lonavala police station said, “Ganesh Kolaskar, who was receiving treatment for severe burn injuries, succumbed earlier today. We were informed of his death by hospital authorities.”

Kolaskar was in the car below the bridge where the tanker overturned and caught fire, and was critically injured by the burning ethanol dripping down.

Three of the other deceased had been identified on Tuesday as Savita Kailas Vare (34), her son Kushal (8) and her nephew Ritesh Mahadu Koshire (17). The identity of one more deceased person who was in the cabin of the tanker, was yet to be ascertained by the police.

The Pune Rural police have, meanwhile, registered an offence of culpable homicide against the driver and owner of the tanker. The police, who had initially thought the substance in the tanker to be oil and later methanol, said Wednesday morning that ethanol was being transported from a sugar mill in Satara to Vashi.

“We have registered a case of culpable homicide against the driver Nitin Satre and the owner of the truck, Kakde, whose full name is not known. The probe suggests that it was in fact ethanol and not methanol. We now know that the ethanol was being transported from Jarandeshwar Sugar mill in Satara to fuel depots in Vashi to be mixed with the automobile fuels,” said Inspector Dubal.

“No arrests have been made yet, as the driver is receiving treatment. Our investigation is on,” added Dubal.

The police have invoked Indian Penal Code Section 304 (2), which pertains to culpable homicide not amounting to murder and when the act is done with the knowledge that it is likely to cause death, but without any intention to cause death. Officials said they have not yet invoked the provisions pertaining to negligent handling of substances, because outcomes of some aspects of the probe were awaited.

A police investigation suggests the driver lost control of the speeding vehicle, and it overturned after hitting a sidewall of the expressway, causing the ethanol to spill. The accident took place around 11.30 am, triggering the fire moments later.

The fire spread down the bridge, too, as the burning ethanol drained through the gaps and water holes on the bridge, said officials. The three family members, who were killed, were passing by under the bridge at the time on a bike.