‘It was overcrowded; suffocating’: Passenger describes nightmare inside stranded Mumbai monorail

Mumbai: “I was in the train from 5:30 p.m. The rescue operation started after one hour. There were at least 500 passengers in the train,” said Sunil, one of the commuters stranded on a Mumbai Monorail that came to a halt mid-track between Mysore Colony and Bhakti Park stations on Tuesday evening.

The train, overloaded after arriving late by 30 minutes, was stranded for more than an hour due to what officials described as a “minor power supply issue.” Teams from the BMC, fire department and police launched rescue operations using cranes, while the fire brigade deployed three snorkel vehicles to evacuate passengers, officials said.

Meanwhile, another passenger told ANI, "Passengers were patient. The train had many senior citizens and kids, and they were facing difficulties... Suffocation was the main problem inside the train..."

The Monorail authority said passengers would be rescued by cutting open the window glass. The incident occurred amid heavy downpours that have battered Mumbai for two straight days, flooding streets, disrupting suburban train services, delaying flights, and throwing life in the city out of gear.

"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.

No one should worry or panic as all passengers will be safely evacuated, he assured. "I request everyone to remain patient. I am in contact with the MMRDA Commissioner, the Municipal Commissioner, the police, and all relevant agencies. An inquiry will also be conducted into why this incident occurred," he said. As per municipal commissioner Bhushan Gagrani, there were around 200 passengers inside the train.