By IANS,
Mumbai : Terror strikes and rains hit traffic movement on major roads in south Mumbai as cars, autorickshaws and taxis moved at snail’s pace after the three serial blasts that killed at least 20 people and injured over 100 others in the evening, said local residents.
Torrential rains added to the chaos after the explosions, with commuters spending hours on roads to cover even short distances.
“I was stuck in traffic jam for more than two hours near Khar West. Cars were literally crawling and the rain was making the matters worse. Since everyone was rushing home, there were major traffic jams in every part of the city,” Shruti Arora, who works with a multinational company, told IANS.
Three serial blasts rocked Zaveri Bazar, Dadar and Opera House around 7 p.m.
Although autorickshaws, taxis and trains were plying as usual despite the terror strike, traffic jam on roads created a problem for people trying to return home after work.
Mihir Desai, 19, decided to walk back home after the traffic didn’t move for hours.
“I was at a mall in Andheri West when my friend called me and told me about the blasts. I stay close to the blast site, so I decided to take an autorickshaw and go home. But it was useless as I got stuck in the jam and finally decided to walk home as my parents were panicking,” said Mihir.
“We are mainly taking passengers who are not staying in far flung areas but still it is taking us hours to cover a few kilometres,” complained autorickshaw driver Ramesh.
Local trains, known as the lifeline of the city, continued to run on time.
“I thought local train service will be disrupted after the blasts, but when I reached Dadar station, I was pleasantly surprised to see trains running on time and these were not very crowded,” said Sonia who works with a public relations firm.
“But one could see the tension and fear on the commuters faces. Most of them were frantically trying to call or SMS their families and friends,” she added.
“First, it had been raining really hard and then the blasts – the city is in a mess right now,” said Dev Verma, another commuter.