782 passengers rescued from 2 stranded Mumbai monorails

Mumbai: Two monorails train got stuck in Mumbai due to power failure amid heavy rains, leading to a massive operation involving multiple agencies to rescue 782-odd passengers.

While 582 commuters were rescued from one monorail which was stuck on the tracks near Mysore Colony in Chembur, over 200 were evacuated from another monorail train which was successfully towed back to the nearby Wadala station.

With the AC unit shutting off due to power failure in the Chembur incident, passengers felt suffocated in the coaches.

Of the 582 rescued passengers, 14 suffocated passengers were treated onsite and allowed to go while one was sent to Sion Hospital.

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

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.

The fire force rushed with snorkels and ladders but it took more than an hour to gain access and bring down the people from a height of around six metres on a curve.