Mumbai-Goa highway shut for 18 hours as river swells

MUMBAI: The

Mumbai-Goa highway

was shut for over 18 hours after the Vashishti river started flowing over the danger mark. The highway was closed from 9pm on Saturday till 3pm on Sunday, at Chiplun in

Ratnagiri

district.

Vashishti river water inundated a stretch of the highway and parts of Chiplun city.

Light vehicles were diverted to a bypass after 3pm, but heavy vehicles were stopped for a longer period.

Ratnagiri district information officer Prashant Daithankar said that incessant rain had caused the water level of Vashishti to rise, which compelled the authorities to close the highway for the safety of the travellers.