NEW DELHI: Over 400 passengers got stranded for over three hours after a monorail broke down between two stations in Mumbai amid torrential rains.According to officials, all the passengers were rescued after the rescue operations were immediately deployed and teams from the BMC, the fire department and the police worked to evacuate passengers safely.Video footage showed emergency personnel at the site helping passengers out of the stranded train. Authorities ensured that the affected passengers were being taken to nearby hospitals as a precaution.
Why did the monorail get stuck?
- According to officials the train was overcrowded after local train services were suspended due to waterlogging caused by the ongoing heavy rains.
- Mumbai Metropolitan Region Development Authority said that the total weight of the train rose to around 109 metric tonnes, which exceeded its designed capacity of 104 metric tonnes.
- This excess weight caused a break in the mechanical contact between the power rail and the current collector, cutting off the electricity supply required to run the train.
- “In one coach there were around 70-75 people which led to overcrowding of coach,” Deputy chief minister Eknath Shinde said.
- Shinde said that passenger overload caused the Monorail to tilt to one side, leading to a technical problem which is being investigated.
Meanwhile, Maharashtra chief minister Devendra Fadnavis said that an inquiry would be conducted into the incident.”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. He urged people not to worry. “No one should worry or panic as all passengers will be safely evacuated,” he added.The incident comes amid record rainfall in Mumbai over the past 24 hours, which has caused flooding, disruption of local trains, and traffic snarls across the city.
