The Union Home Ministry swiftly deputed the NDRF and mobilised support from the forces to rescue the passengers of Mahalaxmi Express which was stranded near Mumbai due to water logging on tracks following heavy rains.
Union Home Minister Amit Shah closely monitored the rescue operations, the ministry said in a statement.
Chief Spokesperson of Central Railway Sunil Udasi said all 1,050 passengers on board the Kolhapur-bound train were rescued in a multi-agency operation nearly 17 hours after the train was stranded near Vangani in Thane district.
On getting the information around 8.50 am about the train being stranded, the Home Ministry immediately deputed two National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) teams each from Mumbai and Pune along with nine boats and other necessary equipment. The teams reached the spot around 9.40 am, it said.
On the request of MHA, the Defence Ministry deployed Navy and Airforce teams for the rescue operation.
Naval teams reached the site with specialist divers. Two Mi-17 helicopters of the Indian Air Force were also pressed into service to assist the in rescue operation, the statement said, adding two columns of Army along with 130 trained staff, food packages, water and rescue material were also deployed.
The Ministry of Railway mobilized all necessary resources including a relief train and provided medical assistance and refreshment to passengers.
Despite waterlogged roads, tough and undulating terrain, the NDRF and the Navy teams rescued all stranded passengers and railway staff from the train.
Shah and his deputy Nityanand Rai complimented the efforts of the MHA, the defence ministry, the NDRF and other agencies for successfully rescuing all the passengers in the shortest possible time, the statement said.
A special 19-coach train has been arranged by the railways to take the passengers to Kolhapur, it said.
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