Pune: A tanker carrying highly inflammable methanol overturned on the Mumbai-Pune Expressway near Lonavala Tuesday afternoon, killing four people and injuring three others.
Among those who died, one person was travelling on the tanker while three others were on motorcycles beside the vehicle. The victims have not been identified yet. The tanker first caught fire after which it exploded, causing fiery balls of the chemical to fall on the motorists.
An officer with the Pune Rural police has been quoted as saying that the accident took place on an overbridge on the highway, near the hill station of Lonavala. The owner of the truck is yet to be identified.
Flames from the overturned tanker forced authorities to block traffic from 11.40 am to 12.40 pm on both sides of the expressway. Several emergency response teams from the Pune Rural police, Highway Safety Patrol, Expressway Emergency Response body, Pune Disaster Management Cell and fire brigades from Lonavala as well as Khopoli municipal councils along with the Indian Navy’s INS Shivaji training center launched a joint relief operation.
Pune Rural Superintendent of Police, Ankit Goyal, said, “Primary probe suggests the methanol may have leaked from the gaps on the structure of the bridge’s surface or the side walls. The identities of the deceased and injured are being ascertained. All have suffered severe burn injuries.”
Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis expressed his condolences on the unfortunate incident through a tweet.
Methanol is a highly inflammable substance which is considered an alternative fuel under the Energy Policy Act of 1992. However, it is not used as a commercial transportation fuel.
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