Three IIT Bombay students killed in SUV crash on Mumbai–Pune Expressway

Three students from the Indian Institute of Technology Bombay were reportedly killed after the SUV overturned on the Mumbai-Pune Expressway on Thursday morning.

The accident took place around 9.30 am near the Panvel exit, shortly after the vehicle crossed the Bhatan tunnel. 

As per reports, the victims, Shreyansh Sharma (22) from Jaipur, Omkumar Borse (23) from Nashik, and Lay (20), were part of a group of six students who had set out from the Powai campus early in the morning to watch the sunrise at Khandala.

The SUV lost control while attempting to overtake a truck near the 10.7-km mark before the Panvel exit. The vehicle is believed to have overturned multiple times, leaving it severely damaged and trapping the occupants inside. All three students travelling in the SUV sustained fatal injuries.

Investigators are examining multiple accounts of the incident. While initial findings suggest the driver lost control during an overtaking manoeuvre, fellow students travelling in two other vehicles alleged that the SUV may have brushed against the truck while changing lanes, leading to the crash.

Panvel taluka police station will register an FIR and launch a probe to investigate the exact cause of the accident

Highway police indicated that overspeeding may have been a contributing factor.

Emergency services rushed to the scene after receiving an alert, and the bodies were later taken to a hospital in Panvel for post-mortem examination. Two faculty members from IIT Bombay also reached the hospital.