500 passengers rescued after India's only Mumbai Monorail gets stuck amid power outage

Mumbai: In a shocking incident, a Monorail train got stuck midway on the tracks near the Mysore Colony in Chembur due to a power supply issue amid heavy rains and inclement weather leading to a massive rescue operation involving multiple agencies to rescue 500-odd passengers.

The Mumbai Monorail runs between Chembur and Wadala Depot and Wadala Depot to Jacob Circle involving 17 stations - and is the only Monorail in India and among the very few Monorail services in the world.

The passengers felt suffocated and heat inside the rakes of the monorail as because of the power failure the AC unit shut off.

Out of 442 rescued passengers, 14 suffocated passengers treated onsite allowed to go and 1 sent to Sion Hospital.

The Monorail got stuck because of a “minor power supply issue”, according to the Mumbai Metropolitan Region Development Authority (MMRDA), which runs the Mumbai Monorail.

Because of the power failure, another Monorail was stuck, which was taken back to station.

The MMRDA, BrihanMumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) and Mumbai Fire Brigade (MFD) undertook the rescue operations.

Taking a serious view of the incident, Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis announced a thorough probe.

Deputy Chief Minister Eknath Shinde, who is also the Urban Development Minister and Mumbai City district Guardian Minister, personally supervised the rescue operations.

Teams of doctors were stationed outside the site when the rescue operation was underway.

“Due to some technical reason, a monorail is stuck between Chembur and Bhakti Park. I am in contact with the MMRDA Commissioner (Dr Sanjay Mukherjee), the Municipal Commissioner (Bhushan Gagrani), the police, and all relevant agencies. An inquiry will also be conducted into why this incident occurred,” Fadnavis said.

The MFD rushed with snorkels and ladders to rescue people, however, it took more than an hour to gain access and bring down the people from a height of around six metres at a curve.

Video footage of rescue operations revealed that the stranded passengers were in deep discomfort because of humidity and suffocation.

“If was a difficult experience, but I must thank the Monorail driver for being patient,” said a senior citizen, who was rescued.

Some commuters said that they were at loss as to what needs to be done in such a situation and there were no instructions whatsoever.

“With suburban trains not working, many commuters had opted for the Monorail. However, the AC has stopped working and with the doors remaining closed, passengers are struggling in the sweltering heat,” said one of the passengers who was rescued.

BJP MLA Captain R Tamil Selvan, who represents the Sion-Koliwada seat, rushed to the spot to supervise the rescue operations.

The problem started around 1815 hrs and the evacuation of passengers started around 1945 hours after passengers broke open a window.

“"Our priority right now is to rescue all passengers. There are nearly 200 passengers stuck inside. Our medical team is also on the spot. I urge the passengers not to panic," said Shinde.

“There was complete suffocation inside. Darkness made it worse. People switched on mobile flashlights, some fainted, children and women were crying. We were drenched in sweat despite the cool wet weather outside,” recounted a visibly shaken commuter after being rescued.

The Tuesday incident laid bare the vulnerabilities of India's sole Monorail system in crisis situations, and one regular passenger, speaking to media-persons termed it an ‘unreliable’ option as it reportedly keeps suffering frequent breakdowns even in normal times.