Mumbai rains: Over 500 rescued from two stranded monorail trains; passengers recount ordeal

There were about 200 passengers inside, municipal commissioner Bhushan Gagrani said (Image: Videograb/X)

More than 500 passengers were rescued on Tuesday evening after two overcrowded Monorail trains on elevated tracks got stuck between stations in Mumbai on a day of torrential rains, with over a dozen passengers complaining of suffocation, officials said.

The rescue operation was over after almost four hours, they said, adding that overcrowding and power supply failure led to the snags.

One of the Monorail trains was stuck between Mysore Colony and Bhakti Park, and cranes had to be deployed to rescue more than 400 passengers travelling in it. Over a hundred were evacuated from another Monorail train which was successfully towed back to the nearby Wadala station, officials said.

The two Monorail trains were carrying many more passengers than the capacity after the services of local trains were suspended owing to the heavy downpour, officials said.

Panic prevailed in the Monorail train which got stuck between Mysore Colony and Bhakti Park stations around 6.15 pm. Fifteen passengers complained of suffocation as the electricity and AC systems shut down.

While 14 of them were discharged after treatment on the spot, a girl was admitted to hospital and her condition was stable, officials said.

The passengers who were rescued said panic prevailed inside the train stuck between Mysore Colony and Bhakti Park. The fire brigade deployed snorkel cranes to rescue the passengers.

Nobody should panic as everyone would be evacuated safely, Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis said in a post on X, adding that an inquiry will be conducted into the incident.

"Due to some technical reason, a Monorail is stuck between Chembur and Bhakti Park. MMRDA (Mumbai Metropolitan Region Development Authority), the fire brigade, and the municipal corporation, all agencies have reached the spot. The highest priority is being given to the safety of all passengers," Fadnavis posted on X.

The train came to a halt at around 6.15 pm and it was an hour before the rescue operation began, passengers said. It had suffered "a minor power supply issue", Mumbai Monorail said in an initial press statement.

"People were stranded at various stations due to the rains. More people than the carrying capacity of the Monorail trains boarded," said MMRDA joint commissioner Astik Kumar Pandey.

Narendra Kumar Mishra, a rescued passenger, told PTI that Monorail officials should have regulated the number of passengers boarding the train. "I was stuck in the Monorail for almost one hour and 45 minutes. People were scared as there was no communication from the authorities. Some were struggling to breathe, and tried to break the window. A couple of passengers fainted," said one passenger after he was rescued.

A woman passenger said there was no air conditioning and electricity inside.

"As the local services on the harbour line were shut due to the heavy rains, we took Monorail, and went through this ordeal," said another passenger.

Mumbai has been battered by rains for the last two days, throwing normal life in the metropolis out of gear.