A massive traffic jam on the Mumbai-Ahmedabad National Highway in Maharashtra's Palghar district stranded more than 500 students and commuters for nearly 12 hours, officials said on Wednesday.
Twelve buses carrying students from Classes 5 to 10 of different schools, along with some college students from neighbouring Thane and Mumbai, were caught in the gridlock stretching for several kilometres near Vasai from around 5.30 pm on Tuesday till early Wednesday morning, they said.
The children, who were returning from a school picnic near Virar, had to remain without food or water for several hours.
Deputy Commissioner of Police (Traffic), Vasai, Poornima Chowgule-Shringi said the traffic jam was yet to be cleared.
The massive congestion on Tuesday evening left vehicles barely inching forward for hours.
By night, many students were exhausted, hungry and anxious, while worried parents waited tensely for updates on their children's safety.
Members of a local social organisation rushed to the site. They distributed water and biscuits to the stranded children and helped drivers manoeuvre buses through the congested lanes.
"The students were crying due to hunger and exhaustion. It was heartbreaking to see them suffer because of the poor traffic management," an activist said.
The jam was apparently triggered by the diversion of heavy vehicles due to ongoing repair works on the Ghodbunder highway in Thane, which resulted in excessive traffic load on the Mumbai-Ahmedabad route, the activist said.
An official from the Mira Bhayander-Vasai Virar police control room said there was a massive traffic jam, which was being cleared.
"The congestion is slowly easing, but movement remains sluggish," the official said.
Some buses carrying the students managed to take a detour, while others inched forward slowly through the jam. The last of the stranded buses reached its destination by 6 am on Wednesday, sources said.
The parents of the stranded children and other locals blamed poor planning and lack of coordination among authorities for the situation.
"Our children were left helpless for hours. There was no police, no information, no system in place," one of the parents claimed.
Residents demanded that the traffic department and civic authorities take immediate corrective measures to prevent such incidents in the future, especially when repair work and diversions on roads are planned.