Mumbai: 22 passengers get stuck in lift at Bandra station for 35 minutes

The cop and electrician rescue passengers from the lift

Around 22 passengers, mostly senior citizens and women, were stuck inside a lift at Bandra station for over 35 minutes on Friday night. A woman constable, who was on patrol, heard their screams and informed the station master about the incident.

However, the station master allegedly did not visit the spot and there was also a delay in getting an electrician to help the passengers.

Passengers crowd at the lift, in which 22 people got stuck recently, on Wednesday. Pic/Sameer Markande

Constable Shahin Pathan of the Bandra Government Railway Police said that the incident took place at 10 pm on December 16 when around 22 passengers got stuck inside the lift on platform no. 1 of the station. The lift, which has a capacity of 8-10 people at a time, got stuck between the ground and first floors.

Also read: Mumbai: Passengers stuck in lift at Andheri station after technical fault

Pathan told mid-day, "I was patrolling the station when I heard the screams from the lift. I saw that the lift was stuck between two floors and immediately called the station master seeking help. At first he told me that the lift was stuck due to more weight than permitted and that it would start in five minutes. However, as the lift did not start, I called him again. He said that he would send an electrician, but it took around 25 more minutes for the electrician to arrive."

Constable Shahin Pathan

"The passengers were stuck for a long time and they were scared. I tried to keep them from panicking and kept talking to them. When the electrician arrived, he said that the lift door could be opened with a key, but there were still chances of mishap in case the lift suddenly moved. Eventually, the lift door was opened and the passengers were safely taken out using a 2-foot gap," she added.

Eyewitness account

A food shop vendor who was there on the platform told mid-day, "Many people had gathered after hearing the screams of those stuck inside the lift. The woman cop was taking updates from the station master but did not get sufficient help. She kept the people calm and helped rescue them. The station master did not even visit the spot, despite it being his responsibility."

A cobbler, who was present at the platform during the incident, told mid-day, "The electrician came to help after around 25 minutes. Most passengers were senior citizens and women. It is a shame that the railway did not help the passengers immediately."

‘Heard of mishap today'

Station master Vijay Jadhav told mid-day, "I learnt about the incident today when the GRP tweeted about it. At the time of the incident, I was on an inspection check in the station. Someone from our team rushed to the spot and handled the situation."

"The lift has a capacity of around 10 people, but passengers ignore it. The lift had gotten stuck due to overload. We have our own team to deal with lift and escalator incidents and always give priority to such incidents," he added.

A railway official said, "We checked with the station master and learnt that a team was sent to the spot to help the passengers. Our probe has revealed that one of the passengers had called on the emergency number and a team was rushed to the spot. However, as someone had pressed the emergency button, the door could not be opened from outside initially. However, later the electrician opened the door and all the passengers were safely rescued."

"The lift has since been checked and is functioning well," the official added.

10pm
Time on December 16 when the incident took place