Mumbai: A car fire inside the Mumbai Coastal Road tunnel on Thursday morning brought traffic to a complete halt in both directions, causing severe congestion for commuters during peak hours.

Long queues of vehicles were reported near the tunnel, forcing authorities to temporarily close the stretch to ensure safety. Visuals of the burning vehicle quickly circulated on social media.

According to Mumbai Traffic Police, the fire erupted in a car inside the southbound section of the tunnel near Tardeo. The resulting thick smoke led authorities to block both southbound and northbound traffic. “Traffic movement is stopped at Coastal Road (Tardeo) southbound and northbound due to a car fire,” the police confirmed in a post on X.

Two fire engines were dispatched to the scene, entering the tunnel from the Breach Candy exit, which was subsequently closed to vehicles.

Firefighters worked promptly to douse the flames and prevent the fire from spreading within the tunnel. No casualties were reported at the time of filing this report.

Commuters stuck in the traffic shared updates and visuals on social media, highlighting the disruption. One user wrote, “Seems like a massive accident inside the Coastal Road tunnel! Road completely shut by traffic police,” while another posted images showing vehicles being turned back from the tunnel.

The incident led to chaos on one of Mumbai’s busiest roads, leaving motorists stranded for a prolonged period. Police diverted traffic to adjoining roads to manage congestion and restore normal movement gradually.