PUNE/MUMBAI, May 16 -- The Mumbai-Pune Expressway witnessed two major accidents on Friday evening near the newly inaugurated Connecting Link section, triggering massive traffic congestion and raising fresh concerns over commuter safety on the high-speed route. The back-to-back mishaps, which occurred within hours of each other on the Mumbai-bound carriageway near Borghat and the exit point of the Connecting Link tunnel route, left three persons dead, several injured and thousands of motorists stranded in kilometres-long traffic snarls. According to the highway police, the first and more serious accident took place around 5.05 pm on the Mumbai-bound lane of the Expressway, shortly after the Connecting Link tunnel stretch. A truck transporting paint material reportedly lost control while heading from Pune towards Mumbai and rammed into another truck and a container truck moving ahead of it. The impact was so severe that all three heavy vehicles overturned on the highway. "There is a slope there, and most probably the accident was caused due to brake failure," said Vishal Nehul, deputy SP of Khalapur. The driver and cleaner of the first truck sustained grievous injuries and died on the spot while the drivers of the other two vehicles suffered serious injuries. The injured drivers were identified as Veer Balram from Rajasthan and Zeeshan Ali from Uttar Pradesh. Both were rushed to Khopoli Rural Hospital for treatment. According to the deputy SP of Khalapur and Sr API Sachin Hire, a third body was retrieved from the spot towards evening. The identities of all three were yet to be officially confirmed on Friday night. The accident also caused a massive spill of paint containers, powder bags and industrial colour material across all four lanes of the Expressway, severely affecting vehicular movement. After receiving information at 5.10 pm, clearance and rescue teams reached the spot within 10 minutes and continued clearance operations till around 7 pm. Highway Police Superintendent Tanaji Chikhale said that rescue and restoration efforts were carried out swiftly despite difficult conditions. "Our teams, along with IRB patrol units, responded immediately," he said. "Priority was given to rescuing the injured, clearing hazardous paint spills and restoring traffic safely." Even before the authorities could completely clear the wreckage and restore normal movement, another accident took place at the same stretch. A speeding private bus reportedly lost control and rammed into three to four cars stuck in the traffic queue created by the earlier collision. The vehicles were badly damaged although no fatalities were reported-a few passengers and motorists sustained minor injuries and were shifted to nearby hospitals for treatment. The police have detained the bus driver for questioning. Senior police officers supervised rescue operations. Authorities said that efforts to fully normalise traffic movement continued late into the night while an investigation into both accidents remains underway. The twin accidents triggered one of the worst traffic jams seen on the Mumbai-bound side of the Expressway in recent weeks. Vehicle queues reportedly stretched for nearly three to four kilometres, with congestion spreading through the old ghat section as well. Many travellers remained stranded for hours in the evening heat even as emergency teams worked continuously. The incident is being seen as the first major accident reported near the Connecting Link section after the ambitious engineering project was inaugurated on May 1. The Connecting Link corridor, designed to reduce travel time and bypass the accident-prone ghat curves, had been projected as a safer and faster alternative on the Expressway. Friday's accidents, however, have once again put focus on speeding, heavy vehicle movement and traffic management on the newly opened stretch....