Pune | Four people were killed and three injured when a chemical-laden tanker caught fire following an accident and exploded on Pune-Mumbai Expressway on Tuesday, police said.

The accident took place on the expressway stretch between Lonavala and Khandala, an official said.

The tanker caught fire following an accident and exploded causing fiery balls of the chemical to fall on the motorists travelling on the road below, he said.

Four motorists on the road below sustained injuries, of which three died, while one occupant of the tanker was killed and two others in the vehicle were injured, said the official from Lonavala police station.

The injured were rushed to a hospital, he said, adding that the fire at the scene has been extinguished.