The first power outage occurred when a monorail train carrying 582 passengers became stuck between Mysore Colony and Bhakti Park in Chembur, central Mumbai, on the night of 19/8, according to the Mumbai Metropolitan Region Development Authority (MMRDA).

The incident left passengers stranded in crowded cars during heavy rain. The MMRDA said the incident occurred because the train was overcrowded, resulting in a total weight of 109 tons, exceeding the original design load of 104 tons. This overload caused the power rail system to detach from the power line, causing the entire train to lose power and stop abruptly on the tracks.

Firefighters rescue passengers trapped on a train in Mumbai, India, on the evening of 19/8. Photo: AP

Firefighters rescue passengers trapped on a train in Mumbai, India, on the evening of 19/8. Photo: AP

The train was overloaded because it had to accommodate many passengers who transferred from the Harbour line, which was closed due to heavy rain, said Eknath Shinde, Deputy Chief Minister of Maharashtra state.

The MMRDA said "it was impossible to prevent the uncontrolled overload due to the unusually high number of passengers".

The agency dispatched another monorail train to tow the stranded train back to the nearest station, but was unsuccessful because the train was too heavy. They then had to call the fire department to rescue the passengers.

Trapped for an extended period, some passengers panicked and tried to break the windows, but were unsuccessful. Witnesses said the atmosphere inside the car was chaotic, with some people saying they were suffocating because the air conditioning system was not working.

Firefighters then gained access and broke the train windows to begin evacuating passengers after 90 minutes. Two main doors were then unlocked, speeding up the rescue process.

"Everyone was scared. Some even wanted to jump down. We immediately stretched tarpaulins under the tracks in case anyone jumped, and also sent officers onto the train to reassure them. Our priority was to prevent the panic from turning this incident into a tragedy," said Mumbai fire chief Ravindra Ambulgekar.

About 23 passengers on the train received medical treatment at the scene after reporting they were suffocating while trapped. Two people were taken to Sion Hospital for treatment.

The train is stuck on the tracks in Mumbai, India, on the evening of 19/8. Video: X/@IndianGems

Almost an hour later, another monorail train carrying about 200 passengers also suddenly stopped between Acharya Atre station and Wadala Mono Rail station. The train was then pulled back to Wadala station, where authorities evacuated all passengers.

The MMRDA said the monorail is a public transport system with limited capacity, designed for specific routes, and not suitable for handling sudden increases in passenger numbers like the metro.

Mumbai is the only city in India that operates a monorail system with an average speed of 65 km/h. Each car has a capacity of 18 seated and 124 standing passengers.

Ngoc Anh (According to NDTV, Hindustan Times, PTI)