11 July,2018 11:33 AM IST | Mumbai | Rajendra B Aklekar
NDRF rescues passengers stuck between Nalasopara and Vasai on rescue rafts
The NDRF along with the Navy, Coast Guard and the RPF rescued over 2,000 passengers stranded in trains midway. As water levels rose, power to the trains had to be disconnected, keeping people stuck for hours without food and water. Teams worked in tandem to ferry people to the nearest stations on rescue rafts.
Later in the day, a special food train, carrying 2,000-odd packets prepared in Base Kitchen, Mumbai Central, was run from Mumbai Central to Naigaon for passengers waiting in stranded trains.
A slithery resident takes refuge from the flooded tracks. Pic/Hanif Patel
A dark night
The situation was grim right from the wee hours with Vadodara Express forced to halt near Nalasopara at 3.25 am with no means to reach the station. Later, Bhuj Bandra Express, Lokshakti Express and Jamnagar Express, too, got stuck.
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RPF teams reached the spot early morning with food packets for passengers. But as water levels kept rising further, General Manager A K Gupta finally made a distress call to the NDRF at 11 am, seeking assistance. "The RPF personnel had formed a human chain to bring out as many passengers as possible, but we had to seek Navy's help to get water transport," explained WR's chief public relations officer Ravinder Bhakar.
NDRF jumps in
An NDRF team of 35 along with RPF personnel reached Vadodara Express at 1 pm and helped over 1,000 passengers to reach Nalasopara station. After water level crossed 400 mm, power supply of Shatabdi Express, stuck at Nalasopara station, was switched off as a precautionary measure.
Later, the passengers of Vadodara Express and Shatabdi Express were ferried to Naigaon in 11 special buses. WR also arranged for six buses for bringing passengers of regulated UP trains from Surat, Vapi, Billimora and Dahanu Road to Borivli. Medical assistance was given to rescued passengers at Nalasopara and Virar stations.
Also Read: Mumbai: State education minister says there was no waterlogging in the city
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