7 vehicles damaged as container overturns on Nashik highway

Thane: A freight container loaded with metal angles overturned on the Nashik-Mumbai Highway on Tuesday night, damaging six to seven vehicles and injuring two drivers. The mishap led to massive traffic congestion from Nashik towards the Thane-Mumbai highway, the police said. Police reached the spot to remove the container. Two injured drivers were taken to a nearby hospital.

The incident occurred at Yewai Naka around 11.30pm, when the loaded container heading towards Mumbai from Nashik overturned, resulting in the iron angles spilling onto both sides of the road. Six vehicles including a dumper, a state transport bus, a truck, a tempo, and other vehicles were damaged.

Ranvir Bayas, senior police inspector, Bhiwandi Taluka police station, said, “The vehicle was removed around 5.30 am using JCB, crane, and other equipment and tools. It took us over six hours to remove the container, and the material spilled out on the road, and by 2 and 3am, all lanes were free.”

“We have deployed four to five teams across the naka to help clear the traffic and prevent further traffic jams, “ added Bayas.

According to the police, traffic snarls continued impacting the peak hour traffic towards Thane, Mumbai, Bhiwandi, and Nashik routes on Wednesday. Traffic from Nashik to Mumbai and Thane-Mumbai to Nashik was also impacted as long queues of vehicles from Nasik highway extended up to Thane and the internal roads of Bhiwandi and Kalyan.

There was bumper-to-bumper traffic on the Bhiwandi bypass, Mankoli Naka, Kalyan Road, Ovali Naka, Wadpe Naka etc.

Rajesh Nishad, auto driver, resident of Mumbai, was stuck at the Mankoli bridge for more than two hours on Wednesday. “We had expected regular traffic at peak hour, but we were stuck for more than two hours at the Mankoli bridge with no place to move. We could not even think of changing the route as there was bumper-to-bumper traffic,” he said.