Pimpri-Chinchwad: More than 24 hours after traffic came to a grinding halt on the Mumbai–Pune Expressway, exclusive high-altitude drone video footage surfaced on Wednesday evening. The footage exposes the sheer magnitude of the crisis unfolding on Maharashtra’s busiest transport corridor.
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While ground-level reports have highlighted the ordeal of thousands of stranded commuters, the aerial video offers a stark, panoramic view of the paralysis. This congestion effectively cut off road connectivity between Mumbai and Pune for over a day -- the two biggest cities in Maharashtra.
The dramatic “bird’s-eye” visuals were captured by Satish Sathe, an independent drone flyer, over the Khandala Ghat and near the Khalapur toll plaza in Raigad district on Wednesday evening after 5 pm. From hundreds of feet above, the Expressway appears frozen in time. In the video, one can see its three lanes packed tightly with vehicles stretching endlessly across the valley. It resembles a massive, unmoving parking lot rather than a high-speed highway.
The prolonged traffic nightmare traces back to Tuesday evening, around 5 pm (more than 24 hours ago at the time of writing this report), when a tanker carrying highly inflammable propylene gas overturned in the Adoshi Tunnel near Khopoli in Raigad District. Since then, traffic congestion has reportedly extended as far as Kiwale in Pimpri-Chinchwad. Almost the entire length of the Expressway’s lane towards Mumbai from Pune to Khopoli remains affected even after 24 hours.
Authorities have been attempting to divert vehicles and ease pressure wherever possible. However, the drone visuals underline the severity of the situation. Multi-axle trailers, buses, and private cars are seen locked bumper-to-bumper, with little to no movement for over a day in several stretches.
Why the Gridlock Persists
The aerial footage also explains why the jam has been so difficult to clear. Due to the ongoing propylene gas leak, even a minor spark (such as one from a vehicle ignition) could pose a serious explosion risk within the narrow ghat section.
As a result, officials have enforced a strict no-movement safety zone near the tunnel. It has triggered cascading congestion on the Old Mumbai–Pune Highway (NH-48) as well.
Reacting to the visuals, a user on social media platform X (formerly Twitter) remarked, “It looks unreal. Thousands of vehicles are trapped between mountains with nowhere to move. The drone video shows the scale far better than any ground report.”
Authorities have warned that congestion may continue until the hazardous tanker is fully secured and normal traffic flow is restored.
