Mumbai, February 5: Pinnacle Industries Limited Chairman Sudhir Mehta was forced to take a helicopter to return to Pune after being stranded for nearly eight hours on the Mumbai–Pune Expressway due to a massive traffic jam caused by an overturned gas tanker.

The incident occurred on Tuesday evening when a tanker carrying highly flammable propylene gas overturned in the Khandala Ghat section near the Adoshi tunnel on the Mumbai-bound carriageway. As a precautionary measure, traffic movement on the expressway was suspended due to gas leakage, leading to severe congestion.

Commuters remained stuck on the busy expressway for over 30 hours, with vehicle queues stretching up to 20 km at the peak of the disruption. Thousands of passengers, including women and children, were stranded in their vehicles for hours without access to food, water, or toilet facilities. 'Helicopter Car' in Uttar Pradesh: Brothers Turn Maruti Wagon R Into Helicopter in Ambedkar Nagar (Watch Video).

Sudhir Mehta Takes Helicopter After Mumbai–Pune Expressway Jam

Sharing his experience on X, Mehta said he decided to return to Pune by helicopter on Wednesday after spending eight hours in the traffic snarl. He also posted aerial visuals showing the scale of the congestion on the expressway.

Reacting to the situation, Mehta said the incident highlighted the urgent need for better emergency preparedness on high-speed corridors like the Mumbai–Pune Expressway. Mumbai-Pune Expressway Traffic Jam Continues After Tanker Overturned Near Adoshi Tunnel, Hundreds of Vehicles Seen Stuck (Watch Videos).

“Lacs of people are stuck on the #Mumbai #Pune expressway for the last 18 hours for one gas tanker. There should be planned exit points at different locations on the expressway to allow vehicles to return during such emergencies,” he wrote.

He further suggested that helipads, which cost less than INR 10 lakh to build and require under an acre of land, should be made mandatory at key points near the expressway for emergency evacuation.

Traffic on the Mumbai-bound carriageway was finally restored at 1.46 am on Thursday, nearly 33 hours after the accident, after the tanker was safely removed, officials from the Maharashtra State Road Development Corporation (MSRDC) said.

The 94.5-km-long Mumbai–Pune Expressway, India’s first six-lane, access-controlled concrete expressway, connects Mumbai, Raigad and Navi Mumbai with Pune and is one of the busiest road corridors in the country.

TruLY Score by LatestLY
Rating:5

TruLY Score 5 – Trustworthy | On a Trust Scale of 0-5 this article has scored 5 on LatestLY. It is verified through official sources (X Account of Sudhir Mehta). The information is thoroughly cross-checked and confirmed. You can confidently share this article with your friends and family, knowing it is trustworthy and reliable.

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Feb 05, 2026 04:13 PM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).