19 Vehicles, Including 18 Cars, Involved in Samruddhi Expressway Pileup in Buldhana; 20-30 Injured
A major multi-vehicle pileup on the Samruddhi Expressway in Buldhana district on Friday, November 13, left between 20 and 30 people injured after a speeding container truck rammed into a queue of stationary vehicles on the Mumbai-bound lane.
The accident occurred around 11 am to 11.30 am at Channel No. 322, near Tadhegaon village, over the Khadakpurna river bridge in Sindkhed Raja taluka.
The chain of events began early Friday morning when an empty cement tanker overturned at the same location around 1.30 am. Highway police stopped traffic, holding a queue of around 40 to 50 vehicles while towing equipment was deployed to remove the overturned vehicle.
Around 11 am, a heavy container truck travelling from Nagpur towards Mumbai failed to stop in time and crashed into the stationary vehicles from behind. The impact triggered a chain collision, pushing cars into one another and causing extensive damage.
Reports confirmed that 19 vehicles, including 18 private cars and a police patrol vehicle, were directly hit in the collision. Several vehicles were badly crushed, with roofs and body panels severely damaged. Some cars overturned or were pushed on top of others, with wider estimates suggesting that up to 22 to 30 vehicles were affected.
Between 20 and 30 people were reported injured, although the exact number varied across reports.
The injured included families returning to Mumbai, Pune and Nashik after the Diwali holidays. Several victims were taken to hospitals in Jalna and Mehkar, while others received treatment at the Sindkhed Raja rural hospital. Around 10 to 12 seriously injured people were shifted to hospitals in Jalna for further treatment.
Former Maharashtra Cabinet Minister Rajesh Tope, who was travelling on the expressway, stopped at the accident site and helped rescue passengers trapped inside damaged vehicles. He also assisted in coordinating emergency transport.
One of the injured travellers said passengers were waiting inside their vehicles while the road was being cleared when they suddenly heard screams as vehicles began crashing into one another. His wife and two children were among those injured and were treated at the Sindkhed Raja rural hospital.
The accident brought traffic on the expressway to a standstill in both directions, resulting in long queues and delays. Traffic was restored after police removed the damaged vehicles from the road.
