Mumbai Rains: 750 Rescued After Monorail Snags, Flights Delayed, City on Red Alert

Over 750 passengers were rescued on Tuesday after two monorail trains stalled due to power snags triggered by heavy rain in Mumbai. According to officials from the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) and the Mumbai Metropolitan Region Development Authority (MMRDA), rescue operations have been completed. The MMRDA attributed the technical issues to “overcrowding.”

Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis said the next 48 hours would be “extremely crucial” for districts under the India Meteorological Department’s (IMD) red alert, including Mumbai, Thane, Raigad and Pune.

Monorail Rescues

In the first incident, a monorail carrying 200 passengers came to a halt between Acharya Atre and Wadala stations. All passengers were safely evacuated and the train was towed back to Wadala.

The second breakdown occurred at Mysore Colony, leaving 582 passengers stranded. Deputy Chief Fire Officer Anil Parab confirmed that all were rescued and the operation was completed successfully.

Flight Disruptions

The heavy rainfall also caused major disruption at Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj International Airport, where flights faced an average delay of 40 minutes. Airport authorities reported that 17 flights were forced into mid-air go-arounds, while 11 were diverted to nearby airports.

Rainfall Intensity

According to the IMD, several areas in Mumbai recorded more than 200 mm of rainfall in the past 24 hours. Vikhroli East received 268 mm, Marol 262 mm, and Powai’s Passpoli 257 mm. Western suburbs were hit harder, with Chincholi fire station reporting 361 mm, Kandivali 337 mm, Dindoshi 305 mm and Magathane 304 mm. In South Mumbai, Dadar and Wadala crossed 280 mm, while Chembur and Vikhroli in the eastern suburbs also reported close to 300 mm.

Red Alert in Maharashtra

A red alert remains in place for Mumbai, Thane, Raigad, Pune, Satara and Ratnagiri, with the IMD forecasting heavy to extremely heavy rainfall over the next two days.