23 people injured in accident on Mumbai-Pune Expressway near Lonavala

Maharashtra News: At least 23 people suffered injuries after a private bus collided with an unidentified container truck on the Mumbai-Pune Expressway, on Thursday.
The incident took place near Lonavala in the morning, reported ANI.
The condition of 11 passengers is said to be serious.
“The bus was going from Kolhapur to Borivali in Mumbai when the accident occurred,” reported ANI, quoting a Pune Rural Police official.
The official said that it appears that the driver may have fallen asleep, causing the bus to crash into a heavy vehicle, possibly a container or trailer, from behind.
“11 passengers sustained serious injuries like fractures etc., while the rest suffered minor injuries,” he added.
The process of filing a case is underway.
Meanwhile, last month, Union Minister Nitin Gadkari said that proposed 14-lane road near the Atal Setu sea bridge that will connect to Pune via a ring road will bring down traffic on Mumbai-Pune Expressway by 50 per cent
“There is huge traffic on Mumbai-Pune Expressway. A 14-lane road will be built near Atal Setu, which will further connect to Pune via a ring road and then onwards to Bengaluru. This road will bring down traffic on Mumbai-Pune Expressway by 50 per cent,” he said.
The Atal Setu is the country’s longest sea bridge and connects Sewri in Mumbai to Navi Mumbai.
 
in another development, the entire 701-km-long Mumbai-Nagpur expressway is expected to be thrown open to traffic by September-end when work on the final phase covering a 76-km-long stretch will be completed, providing a seamless travel option to motorists between the two big Maharashtra cities.
It is the second such road project in the state after the 95-km-long Mumbai-Pune Expressway. The ₹55,000-crore high-speed corridor, alternatively referred to as a super communication expressway, passes through 392 villages spread over 10 districts.