Overview

• Twelve buses carrying schoolchildren from Mumbai and Thane were stuck from about 5:30 pm Tuesday until early Wednesday near Vasai, leaving many without food or water.
• Police and operators reported that congestion was gradually cleared, with the last buses arriving around 6 a.m. after some escorts and detours were arranged.
• Officials and activists attributed the jam to heavy-vehicle diversions tied to repair work on Ghodbunder Road, with lane closures pushing additional traffic onto NH-48.
• Local volunteers and bus staff distributed water and biscuits, and Naigaon police escorted some buses to a nearby hotel for shelter and meals.
• Emergency movement was impeded, with an eyewitness seeing ambulances drive on the wrong side, as residents demanded accountability for chronic NH-48 jams now reported into a fourth day.