A Mumbai monorail with over 200 passengers got stuck between Mysore Colony and Bhakti Park stations on Tuesday evening due to a suspected power failure amid heavy rains.
Panic spread as ACs shut down, causing suffocation; Mumbai Fire Brigade used snorkel cranes while MMRDA, municipal authorities, and police coordinated the hour-long rescue.
CM Devendra Fadnavis assured safety was the top priority, stayed in touch with agencies, and announced an inquiry into the incident; all passengers were safely evacuated.
Mumbai’s monorail services suffered a major disruption on Tuesday evening when a train carrying at least 200 passengers came to a halt between Mysore Colony and Bhakti Park stations due to an apparent power failure. The incident occurred amid heavy rainfall, leading to chaos and a prolonged rescue operation that lasted over an hour.
According to passengers,as cited by PTI, panic gripped the stranded train, which runs on an elevated track, as the air-conditioning system shut down. Several commuters reported suffocation and discomfort inside the coaches while waiting for evacuation.
Rescue efforts were swiftly launched by the Mumbai Fire Brigade, which deployed three snorkel cranes to bring passengers safely down from the elevated track. Teams from the Mumbai Metropolitan Region Development Authority (MMRDA), municipal authorities, and police also rushed to the site to coordinate operations.
Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis, in a post on X, assured commuters that the highest priority was being given to passenger safety.
“Due to some technical reason, a Monorail is stuck between Chembur and Bhakti Park. MMRDA, 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,” he wrote.
Fadnavis urged the public to remain patient, adding that he was in touch with the MMRDA Commissioner, the Municipal Commissioner, police, and other relevant agencies. He further announced that an inquiry would be conducted into the cause of the breakdown.
According to PTI, by late evening, all passengers had been evacuated safely, officials confirmed.
In less than a week, Mumbai has surpassed the monthly average quota of rainfall for August, which typically stands at 566 mm. For perspective, the rainfall this week is nearly at par with the total that Mumbai received in July, generally the city’s wettest month
