Thane: A speeding gas tanker allegedly jumped a traffic signal and overturned onto an autorickshaw on the Thane-bound carriageway of the Ghodbunder Highway near D-Mart at Anand Nagar on Wednesday afternoon, killing the auto driver and a passenger while leaving another passenger critically injured.The accident occurred around 1 pm and briefly brought traffic on the busy highway to a standstill.According to police, CCTV footage and eyewitness accounts indicate that the tanker was approaching the D-mart junction signal at high speed when its driver failed to notice the red light in time. On spotting a car halted in its path, he allegedly swerved sharply to avoid a collision but lost control, causing the tanker to topple onto the passing autorickshaw,” said Senior Inspector Nivrutti Kolhatkar of Kasarwadavli police station.The victims were identified as autorickshaw driver Dashrath Pawar, a resident of Kalwa, and passenger Mohammad Amin, a native of Uttar Pradesh. The injured passenger, Amjit Ansari, who had boarded the auto at Thane railway station and was headed to Owale, was rushed to a private hospital, where he remains under treatment.Traffic police used a crane to remove the overturned tanker and restore traffic flow. The tanker driver fled the scene after the accident and has been booked. A search has been launched to trace him, said the police.Residents and activists said the junction has witnessed repeated accidents after highway widening allegedly reduced visibility of the signals. They claimed the spot has recorded two other fatal crashes in recent months, besides several near misses, and demanded immediate corrective measures.
