Overview
- Early on Monday a container carrying ethanol overturned near IC‑80 on the Mumbai–Nagpur Samruddhi Expressway and, while recovery work was underway, a truck rammed a stationary car and both vehicles caught fire, leaving six people dead.
- Emergency teams from the Highway Safety Patrol, Wardha police, MSRDC and the fire brigade drained the ethanol before removing the tanker, diverted traffic and moved the bodies to Pulgaon Rural Hospital for post‑mortems.
- On the same morning a BEST wet‑lease Route 501 bus crashed into a divider on the Sion‑Panvel Highway at Mankhurd, killing a pedestrian and injuring about ten people while the driver said the brakes failed.
- BEST’s preliminary check found no obvious technical defect, the operator Mateshwari was issued a show‑cause notice and a ₹50,000 fine, and police have retained the damaged bus for detailed forensic inspection as investigations continue.
- The twin incidents have sharpened scrutiny of Samruddhi safety after a rise in 2025 accidents and focused attention on BEST’s wet‑lease fleet after inspections found one in three wet‑lease buses earlier this month had braking or steering defects, prompting calls for independent audits and contract reviews.