Mumbai: Nearly 200 passengers were rescued late Tuesday night after a monorail got stuck on an elevated track near Mysore Colony due to a power failure amid heavy rain.
The four-coach train, stranded on a curve since around 6:15 pm, remained stuck for over three hours. Rescuers initially attempted to tow it with another monorail, but the brakes had jammed, making the effort unsuccessful.
By 9:15 pm, most passengers were evacuated by breaking windowpanes. Truck-mounted scissor lifts, cranes, ladders, and snorkel vehicles were used to bring people down safely. The Mumbai Fire Brigade and Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) teams were on site, while four buses were arranged to send passengers home.
Officials said the incident occurred because the monorail was overloaded beyond its 109-tonne capacity.
“On a curve, there was a mechanical disconnect of the electric current. The emergency brake then deployed, and the train stopped working,” explained Astik Pandey, Joint Commissioner, MMRDA.
Videos of stranded passengers soon went viral on social media, with some complaining of suffocation.
Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis said an inquiry would be conducted into the incident. Monorail services between Chembur and Bhakti Park were suspended during the rescue operation.
