A well coordinated effort between various agencies can achieve impossible things. This has been proved right once again when more than a thousand people stranded in a train were saved in Maharashtra.?
In an unprecedented joint operation, the teams of NDRF, the Indian Navy, Air Force, Army, And the Railways on Saturday rescued all 1050 passengers on board the Mahalaxmi Express going from Mumbai to Kolhapur.
On Friday night the train got stuck near Vangani in Thane after the tracks got flooded following heavy rains in the region.
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What was even worse was that even parts of the train were underwater as the nearby Ulhas river was overflowing.?
Using videos shot on their phones, the passengers appealed for help on social media.
As the situation continued to remain critical a massive rescue operation involving 1200 personnel from the NDRF, Army, Navy, Air Force, Railway Police, and local volunteers was launched.
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The rescue team initially found it difficult to reach the spot as the roads leading to the train's location were already cut-off due to the rising waters. With the help of locals, rescue teams finally managed to reach the spot but they had to wait till morning before the operation could start.?
The Air Force had deployed its transport helicopter Mi-17 while the Navy used Sea King helicopters to airlift the stranded passengers. The NDRF had six boats pressed into service to bring the stranded passengers to safety.?
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And by 3:15 in the evening, some eight hours after the operations started all 1050 passengers on the Mahalaxmi Express, including nine pregnant women were rescued. By 4:00 PM the rescue operation was officially called off by all agencies.
"Women and children were evacuated first including nine pregnant women after that elderly person was evacuated and finally male passengers. The operation went on for around eight hours," SN Pradhan, DG NDRF said.?
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In the meantime, the Maharashtra Government had dispatched a team of 37 doctors including gynaecologists to attend the stranded passengers.
Once rescued from the train all the passengers were taken to the Sahyadri Mangal Karyalay in Badlapur where they were provided with tea and snacks, the first thing the majority of the passengers had eaten in nearly 17 hours of their ordeal.
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Union home minister Amit Shah praised the rescue teams and said the Centre was closely monitoring the situation. Teams of National Disaster Response Force (NDRF), Navy, Air Force, Army, Railways and state administration rescued all the passengers, he tweeted.
"Kudos to the rescue teams for their exemplary effort," he said.
Buses and a special train was arranged to transport the evacuated passengers to Kolhapur.
Following the narrow escape that could have turned catastrophic, questions are being asked about the circumstance that led to it including how was the Mahalaxmi Express allowed to travel through the area when it was already submerged.?