Pune: A serious road accident occurred early Sunday morning on the Mumbai-Goa Highway near Bavanadi in Ratnagiri district. Around 7:45 AM, an LPG tanker collided with a private mini-bus carrying around 30 passengers, resulting in a hazardous gas leak and a subsequent fire that spread to a nearby residential area.
According to preliminary reports, the LPG tanker—heading towards Mumbai—crashed into a mini-bus traveling from Chiplun to Ratnagiri. The impact caused the bus to veer off the road and fall nearly 20 feet into a ditch, injuring all passengers onboard. The bus was reportedly carrying school teachers headed for a training session in Ratnagiri.
Following the collision, the tanker overturned near a roadside drain, causing a significant LPG leak. The leaking gas ignited shortly after, triggering a fire that spread rapidly to a nearby house. The flames destroyed a rickshaw and two motorcycles parked outside and caused burn injuries to a buffalo in the compound. Fortunately, the family residing in the house managed to escape without injury.
Emergency response teams, including the fire brigade, local police, and traffic personnel, were quickly mobilized. By 8:45 AM, firefighting efforts were underway, and authorities began removing residual gas from the tanker to prevent further danger. For safety reasons, traffic on both sides of the highway was suspended for over five hours, causing long queues of vehicles.
To ease congestion, traffic was rerouted via Sangameshwar and Pali. Superintendent of Police Nitin Bagate and his team were present on-site, overseeing the rescue and recovery efforts. All injured passengers were transported to the Ratnagiri District Hospital for treatment.
Local administration has assured that steps are being taken to fully restore traffic flow and ensure public safety. Meanwhile, an investigation into the exact cause of the collision is ongoing.
