HELP Foundation Volunteers Lead Rescue And Highway Clearance After Fatal Three-Truck Crash On Mumbai-Pune Expressway

Navi Mumbai: Volunteers of HELP Foundation played a crucial role in rescue, recovery and highway clearance operations after a major accident involving three trucks on the Mumbai-bound carriageway of the Mumbai-Pune Expressway near Borghat on Friday evening left three persons dead and caused massive disruption to traffic.

White Paint Spill and Immediate Response

The accident resulted in large quantities of white paint spilling across the expressway, covering a major stretch of the road and creating hazardous conditions for motorists. Soon after receiving information about the crash, HELP Foundation volunteers, along with the Devdoot rescue team and police personnel, rushed to the spot and began rescue operations.

According to volunteers involved in the operation, two bodies were initially retrieved from the mangled wreckage of the trucks under extremely difficult conditions. As the operation progressed, a search was launched for a third missing person. After hours of efforts carried out amid darkness and dangerous conditions, the third victim was also located dead.

Five-Hour Operation Led by Police Officials

The operation continued for nearly five hours under the guidance of DYSP Dr. Vishal Nehul, PI Sachin Hire and API Swapnil Patil. Volunteers assisted police and emergency teams in clearing the damaged vehicles and removing the paint spilled across the carriageway to ensure traffic could resume safely.

Despite the risk posed by speeding vehicles on the highway, volunteers continued working on the road late into the night to reopen all four lanes of the Expressway.

Secondary Five-Vehicle Accident

Meanwhile, during the ongoing rescue operation, another accident involving five vehicles took place a few metres away near Adoshi village around 8 pm. Police said a speeding private travels bus allegedly rammed into a Hyundai i10, triggering a chain collision involving an Ertiga, a police-marked Innova and a WagonR. Two persons sustained injuries in the crash.

HELP Foundation volunteers and rescue personnel immediately shifted their attention to the second accident and helped rescue the injured before they were rushed to hospital for treatment.

Police Case Against Bus Driver

Police later registered a case against the bus driver for rash and negligent driving under relevant sections of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita and the Motor Vehicles Act.

Officials from the Highway Traffic Police Borghat unit, Khopoli Police Station, IRB Patrolling, Devdoot rescue team, Delta Force, Maharashtra Security Force and AFCONS also participated in the operation alongside HELP Foundation volunteers.

“Despite the darkness, continuous traffic movement and dangerous conditions on the highway, every volunteer worked with only one aim — to rescue the victims, clear the road and restore traffic safely. Nobody thought about personal risk or exhaustion,” said Gurunath Sathelkar of HELP Foundation.

Senior officials, including Superintendent of Police Aanchal Dalal, Tehsildar Abhay Chavan, DYSP Dr. Vishal Nehul, PI Sachin Hire, API Swapnil Patil and RTO officer Dilip Darade, appreciated the efforts of the volunteers for their role in the rescue and traffic restoration operation.

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