Accident on Ghodbunder Road: Massive 11-Vehicle Pile-up at Gaimukh Ghat; 4 Critically Injured
THANE: A harrowing multi-vehicle collision paralyzed Ghodbunder Road early Friday morning after a massive container truck lost control while descending the Gaimukh Ghat, ramming into 11 vehicles and leaving four people with serious injuries.
The accident, which occurred around 7:00 AM on January 9, 2026, triggered a massive traffic jam on NH-48, affecting thousands of peak-hour commuters traveling between Thane, Borivali, and Gujarat.
The Incident: Chain Reaction at Gaimukh Curve
According to the Thane Municipal Corporation’s Regional Disaster Management Cell (RDMC), a Tata container truck carrying nearly 40 tonnes of cement was heading towards Thane city. While navigating a sharp curve on the Gaimukh Ghat descent, the driver allegedly lost control of the heavy vehicle.
The truck jumped the median and crashed head-on into a line of vehicles traveling in the opposite direction toward Borivali. The impact was so severe that several cars, including a Honda City, WagonR, and an Innova, were reduced to mangled heaps of metal. An auto-rickshaw was also crushed in the pile-up.
Car accident on the Ghodbunder Road briefly disrupted traffic flow today morning. Maruti Suzuki Baleno collided with a metro divider near Tatvadnyan Vidyapith. The incident, which occurred around 9:55 AM, resulted in no injuries but led to a half-hour traffic congestion#thane pic.twitter.com/Sna5ADV5T8
— Nirmeeti Patole (@NirmeetiP) October 14, 2024
Casualties and Emergency Response
Four individuals sustained “grievous injuries” and were rushed to Titan Hospital in Owala (Waghbil). The injured have been identified as:
- Shivkumar Yadav (56): Auto-rickshaw driver (Head injuries)
- Rambali Babulal (22): Car driver (Serious waist injuries)
- Taskin Sheikh (45): Passenger
- Anita Perwal (45): Passenger
Witnesses claim the truck driver fled the scene immediately after the collision. The Kasarvadavali Police have registered a case and launched a manhunt to trace the absconding driver.
Oil Spill Causes Hazardous Road Conditions
Beyond the wreckage, a significant oil spill from the damaged engines turned the asphalt into a “skid zone,” posing a secondary threat to rescue teams and other motorists.
“Our teams immediately began spreading soil over the oil spill to prevent further skidding and secondary accidents,” said Yasin Tadvi, Chief of the RDMC.
Fire brigade personnel and city traffic police worked for over three hours to clear the debris. While one lane was opened by 9:30 AM, total normalcy was only restored after 10:30 AM once the cement-laden truck was towed away using heavy-duty cranes.
Residents Decry Ghodbunder “Death Trap”
The latest Ghodbunder Road accident has reignited fury among local residents. In 2025, the stretch saw 18 fatalities, leading to protests against poor road maintenance and the lack of speed-calming measures at the Gaimukh descent.
Commuters are advised to check real-time Thane traffic updates before heading toward the Gaimukh stretch, as residual delays may persist throughout the afternoon.
