Car catches fire inside Mumbai Coastal Road tunnel, brings traffic to standstill | Mumbai News

July 15, 2026 Headlinesnews

2 min readUpdated: Jul 15, 2026 01:13 PM IST

A massive fire broke out inside Mumbai Coastal Road’s north-bound tunnel on Wednesday afternoon. According to preliminary information, the blaze broke out after a car caught on fire inside the tunnel. The fire brought traffic to a standstill.

The Mumbai Coastal Road (or Dharamveer Swarajya Rakshak Chhatrapati Sambhaji Maharaj Mumbai Coastal Road) is an 8-lane grade-separated expressway connects Marine Lines in South Mumbai to Kandivali in the north. It is India’s first undersea tunnel.

The incident was reported at 12.25 PM. No injury was reported.

I have never experienced anything like it. Entered the Coastal Road tunnel from Worli and in a couple of minutes saw 100s of people running towards us. Asked one person and he said “aage aag lagi hai”.

I’m not sure what was on fire or if there even was one, but many people just… pic.twitter.com/W3vnWb1g41

— Shaunak Modi (@Pugdandee) July 15, 2026

According to the Mumbai Fire Brigade, the fire was extinguished shortly after. Videos from the spot showed people exiting their vehicles and running away from the fire.

The incident led to chaos on the stretch.

A passenger who was at the spot when the incident unfolded posted videos of the chaos on X. “I have never experienced anything like it. We had entered the Coastal Road tunnel from the Worli side and within a couple of minutes saw hundreds of people running towards us. I asked one person what had happened, and he simply said, ‘Aage aag lagi hai’ [There’s a fire ahead]. I’m not sure what exactly was on fire or if there even was one by the time we got there, but many people abandoned their cars inside the tunnel and ran out. The stranded vehicles ended up blocking the exit for everyone behind them, creating complete chaos.” .

The incident caused major traffic disruption, with emergency responders rushing to the spot and motorists being evacuated from the tunnel. Details on the impact of the fire are being estimated.

(This is a developing story and is being updated.)

Nayonika Bose is a Senior Correspondent with The Indian Express’ Mumbai bureau. While in the early stages of her career, her focused reporting on local governance and community welfare already demonstrates clear Expertise and Trustworthiness in covering essential civic issues impacting Mumbai’s residents.
Expertise & Authority (E-E-A-T)

Specialized Focus: Nayonika’s reporting is dedicated to civic and community issues, providing readers with highly relevant, ground-level information about the functionality and administration of India’s largest metropolitan area.

Core Coverage Areas: Her articles highlight a strong focus on the fundamental quality of life and public safety in Mumbai, including:

Civic Infrastructure: Reports on critical failures and initiatives related to public works, such as the recurring problem of unauthorized building collapses in Navi Mumbai, the construction of new infrastructure projects (like the Dahisar-Bhayandar Link Road and the Mahalaxmi cable-stayed bridge), and the maintenance of essential city services (e.g., manhole cover theft).

Urban Governance & Crisis Management: Provides detailed coverage of the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation’s (BMC) response to major crises, particularly during the monsoon (e.g., heavy rainfall, water cuts, and public health concerns like dengue and malaria) and large-scale public safety incidents (e.g., the hoarding collapse fallout).

Community Welfare & Rights: Reports on key social issues, including the financial aid scheme for persons with disabilities, the struggles of Mumbai’s hawkers protesting eviction drives, and the dangers faced by workers due to the continuation of manual scavenging in water tanks.

Cultural & Heritage Reporting: Covers significant community stories, including the restoration of British-era fountains and the history of institutions like the 126-year-old Chinchpokli cemetery, showing a breadth of interest beyond pure administration.

Tweets @nayonikakb … Read More

Stay updated with the latest – Click here to follow us on Instagram

Please follow and like us: