Pune/Mumbai, Feb. 5 -- One of the longest traffic gridlocks in the history of the 94.5 kilometres-long Mumbai-Pune Expressway stretched into its second day on Wednesday, leaving thousands of commuters stranded for at least 27 hours without access to toilets, drinking water or food after a gas tanker overturned near the Adoshi tunnel on Tuesday evening about 90 kilometres from Mumbai. Traffic began to pile up around 5:15 pm on Tuesday after a tanker that was going from Kochi to Surat, carrying highly flammable propylene gas, overturned on the Mumbai-bound lane near village Adoshi in the Borghat section of the expressway. The accident triggered a major gas leak, forcing authorities to shut down the entire Mumbai-bound carriageway as precaution. The overturned gas tanker finally emptied and moved off the road. Traffic flow gradually started on the Mumbai-bound carriageway. The scale of the disruption prompted Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis to order an inquiry into the incident. He directed Maharashtra State Road Development Corporation (MSRDC) officials to submit a report. "There was 21 tonne of propylene gas which was refilled in another tanker. Once the assurance of safety is given by the gas company teams for the overturned tanker, it will be moved from the site," said Highway Police Superintendent Tanaji Chikhale. Emergency response teams, including the NDRF, fire brigade and a specialised chemical response team were rushed to the spot. The incident paralysed the expressway-used, on an average, by one lakh vehicles daily- to connect Mumbai and Pune. Traffic towards Pune was backed up till Khalapur toll plaza, while the Mumbai-bound side witnessed queues stretching 10 to 12km, with hundreds of vehicles stuck for hours. For commuters, the delay turned into a prolonged ordeal. Near Khalapur toll naka, Pune resident Rohit More remained stuck overnight with his two children, aged one and three. "There are no toilets, no place to even step out safely. Managing infants inside a parked car for hours is exhausting," he said. "Milk ran out, diapers became an issue, and the children cried through the night. This was not something anyone could've prepared for." According to the FIR filed by Khopoli police, the accident occurred at around 5.06pm on Tuesday when the tanker, transporting propylene gas from Cochin to Surat, lost control and overturned. To prevent ignition, fire engines sprayed water to keep temperatures low, while a 500-metre 'no man's land' was created around the accident site....