CHENNAI: Seventeen train passengers, including four children, were trapped inside a lift for nearly two hours at the newly inaugurated Puzhuthivakkam MRTS railway station near St Thomas Mount in Chennai on Sunday night. The passengers alleged they had tried to reach the emergency contact numbers displayed inside the lift but the calls did not go through.
The passengers who got stuck in the lift were those who reached the station on a train from Chennai Beach around 9.30 pm. Sources said the lift developed a technical fault between the first and second floors, leaving the passengers stranded.
As the emergency numbers were allegedly not reachable, the passengers alerted their relatives and friends over mobilephones, who informed the Fire and Rescue Services and the Adambakkam police. After reaching the spot, the fire personnel from Velachery and the police personnel rescued the children first followed by the others during the hour-long operation. In the meantime, they were supplied with water and biscuits.
Ambulances and medical teams were kept on standby, and first aid provided. The incident led to a commotion, as the relatives of the passengers and residents gathered at the station and questioned the railway officials over the safety lapses. The passengers also alleged poor maintenance and inadequate security at the newly opened station, leading to tense scenes past midnight. Official response from the Southern Railway said the lift was overcrowded.
As soon as the alert was received, railway officials, the fire department, a medical team, and experts from Johnson Lifts rushed to the station for the rescue mission, the statement said. The rescue was carried out carefully, starting with the children who were brought out first at 11.40 pm, and by 12:02 am, the remaining 15 passengers were successfully rescued one by one, the statement said.
Puzhuthivakkam station, built as part of the MRTS extension, started operation only on March 14.