Late Friday night, a severe collision between two cars on the Mumbai-Nagpur Expressway, also known as the Samruddhi Mahamarg, resulted in the tragic loss of at least six lives and left five others injured. The accident occurred near Kadwanchi village in Jalna district, around 400 km from Mumbai, at approximately 11 pm.
According to a report by NDTV, the horrific crash happened when a Swift Dzire, having entered the highway from the wrong side after refuelling, collided head-on with an Ertiga traveling towards Mumbai from Nagpur. The impact of the collision was catastrophic, causing the Ertiga to be flung into the air and land on the highway’s barricade. Passengers of the car were thrown out of the vehicle, landing on the road, while the Swift Dzire was left a mangled heap of metal due to the severity of the crash.
Visuals from the scene depicted a grim picture, with the Ertiga car crashed against the highway barricade and the severely damaged Swift Dzire standing still on the side of the highway. The Samruddhi Highway Police and Jalna Police responded swiftly to the accident site. A crane was deployed to remove the wrecked vehicles from the highway. The injured were immediately referred to the district hospital for treatment.
The Samruddhi Mahamarg is a six-lane, 701-km-long access-controlled expressway and one of India’s longest greenfield road projects. It connects Mumbai with Nagpur, Maharashtra’s third-largest city. This expressway, which is partially functional, is considered a major infrastructure development aimed at improving connectivity within the state.