Around 500 stranded as Mumbai Monorail halts mid-track; rescue ops underway | VIDEO

Mumbai: A monorail train came to a halt between Mysore Colony and Bhakti Park stations in Mumbai on Tuesday evening amid heavy rain, with fire brigade personnel and other agencies launching a rescue operation using cranes, officials said.

The elevated train was stranded for over an hour due to “a minor power supply issue,” the Mumbai Monorail said in a statement. Three snorkel vehicles of the city’s fire brigade were deployed, and passengers were to be evacuated by cutting open the window glass, according to officials.

According to media reports, around 500 were aboard the train during the incident.

The incident came as relentless rains pounded Mumbai for the second straight day, disrupting daily life across the metropolis. Flooded streets stranded commuters and vehicles struggling to navigate the inundated roads once again highlighted the financial capital's annual challenge in dealing with the monsoon rains.

"Service update: One Monorail train near Mysore Colony station has experienced a minor power supply issue. Our operations and maintenance teams are already on-site and working to resolve it quickly. For now, services between Wadala and Chembur are running smoothly on a single line. We sincerely thank you for your patience and assure you that your safety remains our top priority. Rest assured, normal services will be restored at the earliest," Maha Mumbai Metro Operation Corporation Ltd wrote in X.

Commuters faced severe hardship as local train services of the Central Railway were disrupted on its main and harbour lines due to submergence of tracks due to torrential rains, while flight operations, too, were affected.

At some places, rail tracks were submerged under as much as 17 inches of water, officials said.

At least eight flights were diverted and many were delayed at the Mumbai airport. Airlines informed passengers about flight delays due to persistent rain, and low-visibility procedures were put in place intermittently.

According to sources, six flights of IndiGo and one each of SpiceJet and Air India were diverted to nearby airports, including Surat, Ahmedabad and Hyderabad.

"Mumbai has witnessed a record rainfall of nearly 300 mm. The city's lifeline -- suburban trains -- have slowed down. The Mithi river (which runs through Mumbai) reached the danger-level mark and 400 to 500 persons had to be evacuated," Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis told reporters after the weekly cabinet meeting.

On Monday, the metropolis had received 170 mm rainfall in just 8 hours.