IMD Issues Red Alert For Mumbai, Thane And Other Districts As Monorail Strands Passengers

The India Meteorological Department (IMD) issued a red alert warning for Mumbai, Thane, Palghar, Raigad and Ratnagiri districts on Wednesday, August 20. The warning forecasts intense to very intense rainfall spells accompanied by thunderstorms and gusty winds of 40-50 kmph that can reach up to 60 kmph.

The continous rainfall caused chaos on Tuesday evening (August 19), when two overcrowded monorail trains stalled on elevated tracks in Mumbai during heavy rains, trapping more than 700 passengers in dark, airless coaches.

What Happened To The Monorail?

One train carrying 582 people came to a halt between Mysore Colony and Bhakti Park stations around 6:15 PM. Panic spread as the power and air conditioning shut down. Passengers reported difficulty breathing, and a few fainted. The second train, with about 200 passengers on board, stalled near Wadala but was successfully towed back to the station.

Rescue teams and the fire brigade personnel deployed snorkel ladders to bring passengers down from the elevated track. By late evening, all 782 commuters were safely evacuated. Officials said one girl was hospitalised but her condition was stable. Fourteen others who reported suffocation were treated on the spot.

The Mumbai Metropolitan Region Development Authority (MMRDA), which operates the monorail, blamed overcrowding after suburban rail services were crippled by the downpour.

“Preliminary checks found that overcrowding increased the train's total weight to about 109 metric tonnes against its designed capacity of 104 tonnes,” the MMRDA said, referring to the train stuck between Mysore Colony and Bhakti Park.

“Normally, in such situations, the stalled train is towed to the nearest station. However, because of the excess weight, it could not be towed and therefore, a rescue operation had to be carried out with the help of the Fire Brigade. A detailed technical review is being conducted to prevent recurrence,” the statement read.

Monorail services resumed on Wednesday after the incident.

Heavy Rainfall In Mumbai, Thane And Maharashtra

Mumbai has been hit by intense showers since Monday night (August 18), leading to widespread waterlogging, traffic chaos and safety concerns. The IMD has forecast “extremely heavy rainfall in Mumbai and surrounding coastal districts,” urging residents to stay indoors unless absolutely necessary.

Indian airline IndiGo issued an advisory on August 19 for its travellers anticipating air traffic congestion amid heavy rainfall in Mumbai which is likely to impact flight operations. It requested its passengers to stay updated through its website or mobile application, as well as allow some extra time to commute due to waterlogging and slow-moving traffic across several parts of the city.

Early on Wednesday, the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) said that transport services remained normal, with no BEST bus diversions, and all Central, Harbour and Western Railway lines were operating smoothly.

However, the Mumbai Traffic Police on Wednesday posted on X about the closure of traffic on the Maharashtra Nagar Tunnel (Trombay, Mankhurd) after seven to eight feet of water accumulated at its T-junction.

Amid predictions of rivers breaching the danger levels in Thane, the collector declared a leave for all schools and colleges in the city on Wednesday. Over the 24-hour period from 08:30 AM on August 19 to 08:30 AM on August 20, Thane received 186.91 mm of rainfall, with the heaviest showers occurring early morning and around 07:30 AM.

According to data released by the Maharashtra Disaster Management Department, 21 people have lost their lives in rain and flood-related incidents between August 15 and 19. Six people lost their lives in these incidents in the last 24 hours in the state. Five individuals are reported to be missing in the Nanded district due to a flood-like situation. A total of 18 teams of National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) are positioned in various parts of the state, along with six teams of the State Disaster Response Fund (SDRF).

(With inputs from multiple news reports)