Mumbai: Traffic along the Mumbai Coastal Road was fully restored on Thursday morning after a car fire inside the southbound tunnel near Tardeo led to a temporary shutdown of the busy stretch. The incident,
which occurred during peak office hours, brought both southbound and northbound traffic to a complete halt and caused severe congestion across adjoining routes.
The closure during the morning rush hour led to traffic snarls stretching several kilometres, with many vehicles forced to divert through alternate city routes. By mid-morning, however, authorities confirmed the situation was under control. “Now traffic is clear,” Mumbai Traffic Police announced in a follow-up update, confirming that normal flow had resumed on both sides of the tunnel, albeit at a slow pace.
According to Mumbai Traffic Police, the fire broke out in a moving car inside the southbound tunnel, producing thick smoke that quickly filled the passage. As a precaution, officials stopped traffic movement in both directions. The department confirmed the development in an early morning post on X, stating, “Traffic movement is stopped at Coastal Road (Tardeo) southbound and northbound due to a car fire.”
2 Fire Engines Rush Towards Spot
Two fire engines were immediately deployed and entered the tunnel from the Breach Candy exit, which was later blocked to prevent further entry of vehicles. Firefighters swiftly doused the flames and ensured the blaze did not spread to other vehicles or infrastructure. Fortunately, no casualties or injuries were reported.
Motorists stranded on the road shared real-time updates on social media, describing the chaos and long tailbacks. “Seems like a massive accident inside the coastal road tunnel! Road completely shut by traffic police,” wrote one commuter. Another user posted photographs showing vehicles being redirected away from the tunnel, adding, “Looks like some trouble in the coastal road tunnel. Vehicles turning back from the tunnel.”
