In Mumbai, the part of the bridge which connects Andheri West and Andheri East has collapsed, and the disruption to the rail service has caused severe congestion on the roads, NDTV reported.
Officials from India’s National Disaster Response Force have arrived at the site and are monitoring the situation. Mumbai police officials have said that they are checking if some people are trapped under the debris while four fire brigade vehicles have been rushed to the spot.
For Mumbai population, the local trains are the transport lifeline – 22 million of residents used to use the rails every day, Mumbai rail system is one of the most severe overcrowding in the world. After Tuesday’s tragedy, the world’s fourth most populated city will definitely be suffering from traffic jams. Mumbai’s population is no stranger to monsoon chaos and the city’s largely creaky infrastructure is often heavily tested during this time of year.
A year ago, a stampede on a footbridge at the city’s Elphinstone station amid heavy rains left 22 people dead and injured more than 30. This year, the rail bridge collapse strands thousands of commuters. Rains also caused severe flooding, stranding tens of thousands of residents as roads literally turned into rivers. A few days later, a residential building collapsed, killing more than 30 people. Heavy rains killed a further 20.
According to the World Bank’s 2010 estimate, Mumbai’s train system suffers from some of the most severe overcrowding in the world, carrying 4,500 passengers in trains with a rated capacity of just 1,700. On Tuesday, he collapse at one of the busiest of the city’s western railway line of Mumbai has injured five people who have been sent to hospital.
