Maharashtra: Truck overturns, cylinders explode on highway in Vasai

The trucker sustained injuries, said the police. Pics/Hanif Patel

A truck transporting hydrogen gas cylinders overturned and caught fire on the Mumbai-Ahmedabad highway in Palghar district early on Saturday. Several of the cylinders exploded on the truck. There were no casualties, but the driver sustained minor injuries.

The accident occurred near Vasai, on the Ahmedabad-bound side of the highway (NH48). "The cylinders were being transported according to guidelines. The truck overturned after it collided with a divider. The cause of the collision is still unknown. We are investigating the incident," an officer from the Mira Bhayander Vasai Virar Police Commissionerate told mid-day.

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The truck overturned on the Gujarat-bound side of the Mumbai-Ahmedabad highway in Vasai early on Saturday, halting traffic for hours

Firefighters from the Vasai Virar City Municipal Corporation responded promptly and managed to bring the blaze under control within a few hours. Fire department officials said, "We are now clearing the wreckage in order to restore the traffic flow, which is expected to take some more time."

Vehicles headed towards Gujarat came to a standstill, following the incident, while those travelling towards Mumbai also experiencing delays. The Thane city police sent out a traffic advisory: "Motorists to avoid using Ghodbunder Road when travelling towards Vasai and Gujarat. Traffic is being temporarily diverted via Bhiwandi due to an accident on NH48."

NH48 is one of two major routes you can take from Virar to Mumbai. Traffic was also gridlocked on the second route, via Bhiwandi, with motorists being diverted there. A commuter stuck on NH48 between Naigaon and Vasai said, "I am travelling from Mumbai to Kelva. Traffic is not moving at all. It is not possible to take a U-turn either, as officials have placed barricades between the Mumbai- and Ahmedabad-bound lanes.

No one informed us why traffic had come to a standstill for hours. The accident only came to our notice when my son checked the news on the Internet in frustration." Another commuter said, "Even on a regular day, traffic on this highway is bad due to all the road work. Accidents like this cause further delays. We're crawling at barely 10kmph."