Mumbai: A Mumbai Monorail train carrying 582 passengers came to a halt on Tuesday due to a power failure caused by overcrowding, prompting a three-hour-long rescue operation, officials said.
The incident occurred after the four-coach monorail, with 582 passengers onboard, stalled near Mysore Colony.
The Mumbai Metropolitan Region Development Authority (MMRDA) said the train's weight exceeded its designed capacity of 104 metric tonnes after a sudden influx of commuters due to the closure of the Harbour Line amid heavy rains.
Initial attempts by rescue teams to tow the stranded train to the nearest station failed as the brakes remained jammed due to the excess weight.
The Fire Brigade, in coordination with Monorail operations and maintenance teams, the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC), and the police, then began a rescue operation that involved breaking the train's windows to evacuate passengers.
The three-hour-long rescue operation, which began at 6:50 pm, concluded at 9:50 pm, with all 582 passengers safely evacuated.
Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister Eknath Shinde said that a section of the train had tilted due to overcrowding.
A passenger, Dhananjay Shinde, described the experience as "horror".
"People were trapped inside, the air conditioning was off and everyone was scared. It was the passengers who had to break the glass since the air conditioning was off," he said.
The MMRDA stated that the Monorail is a low-capacity transit system not designed for sudden, high commuter volumes.
The authority assured safety to passengers, requested cooperation with security personnel and confirmed coordination with the BMC and emergency services for safe evacuation and service restoration. A technical review is underway to prevent future incidents.
