Traffic came to a standstill for over an hour on Wednesday after a car caught fire inside India’s first undersea road tunnel. The incident occurred at approximately 12:25 PM in the tunnel along the Mumbai Coastal Road Project (MCRP), triggering panic among commuters, many of whom left their vehicles as flames engulfed the car, reported The Indian Express.

Emergency teams, including firefighters, police officers, and traffic personnel, were dispatched to the scene soon after authorities received reports of the blaze. Officials closed the tunnel stretch connecting Breach Candy to Nariman Point to facilitate firefighting operations and ensure public safety, the IE report added.

The damaged vehicle was later removed, allowing traffic to resume around 1:30 PM. According to Joint Commissioner of Police (Traffic) Satyanarayan Chaudhary, preliminary findings indicate that no injuries were reported in the incident.

Panic spreads as commuters move out of vehicles

The fire confused people travelling through the tunnel. Several commuters stepped out of their vehicles and moved towards safety after noticing smoke and hearing about the blaze.

Videos from the scene showed people leaving their cars and rushing away from the affected area. Some vehicles were left inside the tunnel, which added to the traffic congestion and slowed down the evacuation process.

Shaunak Modi, who was present during the incident, shared videos of the situation on X. He said that people started running after hearing that a fire had broken out ahead inside the tunnel.

Traffic police confirm safe evacuation

As per the Indian Express reports, Joint Commissioner of Police (Traffic) Satyanarayan Chaudhary said the tunnel stretch towards Nariman Point was closed as a precaution after the vehicle caught fire. He said that preliminary information suggested there were no injuries in the incident. Emergency personnel later reopened the route after completing safety checks.

Advanced safety systems installed in Coastal Road tunnel

The Mumbai Coastal Road project features twin tunnels measuring around 2.07 km each, with a significant portion built beneath the Arabian Sea. These tunnels are considered India’s first undersea road tunnels.

The tunnel system has been designed with multiple safety measures, including automatic fire detection, firefighting equipment, pressurised fire hydrants, emergency areas, and connecting passages between the two tunnels to help evacuation during emergencies.