Pimpri-Chinchwad: While ground reports have detailed the struggle of thousands stranded on the Mumbai-Pune Expressway, exclusive high-altitude aerial shots have now emerged. These photos reveal the terrifying scale of the paralysis currently gripping Maharashtra’s busiest corridor connecting the state’s two biggest cities.
Mumbai-Pune Expressway (4th February: 3 PM) | Sourced
The "eagle-eye" visuals, captured from a helicopter hovering over the Khandala Ghat, show a sea of stationary vehicles stretching as far as the eye can see. It confirms that the key route of the state has effectively been severed.
The aerial photos were clicked near Khalapur toll plaza near Khopoli in Raigad District late afternoon on Wednesday. It provides a perspective that commuters on the ground simply cannot see. From several hundred feet in the air, the Expressway looks less like a high-speed corridor and more like a parking lot of vehicles.
Mumbai-Pune Expressway (4th February: 3 PM) | Sourced
The traffic tailback originates from the Adoshi Tunnel, where the propylene gas tanker flipped on Tuesday evening at around 5 pm. Reports have emerged that the traffic has queued up as far as near Kiwale in Pimpri-Chinchwad city, indicating the whole expressway is blocked.
Vehicles are being let out of the expressway as much as possible, but the problem is just turning out to be severe. These visuals show the three-lane highway completely saturated, with heavy multi-axle trailers and private cars squeezed together in a deadlock that hasn't moved for over 16 hours.
Mumbai-Pune Expressway (4th February: 3 PM) | Sourced
Why the Jam Won't Break
While many motorists hoped for a quick clearance, the aerial view explains the delay. Because the tanker is leaking propylene gas, any spark (as small as even from a car ignition) could trigger a catastrophic explosion in the narrow valley.
Authorities have been forced to maintain a strict "no-movement" perimeter, which has trickled back to cause secondary gridlocks on the Old Mumbai-Pune Highway (NH-48) as well.
"It looks like a parking lot from a movie," said one observer on social media platform X (formerly Twitter). "The aerials show thousands of people literally trapped between the mountain walls and the valley edge with nowhere to turn."
