A video showing passengers suffocating, coughing and covering their faces after smoke entered a metro coach in Mumbai has gone viral on social media. The incident reportedly happened at Devipada metro station in Mumbai’s Borivali area on Tuesday. A private bus had caught fire at the Western Express Highway and when the metro stopped at the Devipada metro station station, the smoke entered the coach making it difficult for passengers to breathe.
The bus was empty when it suddenly caught fire on the road beside the Devipada metro station, reported Free Press Journal. The metro staff and firefighters, acting swiftly, rushed to the spot and doused the flames and no casualties were reported due to the fire.
However, as the bus parked on the road under the metro station caught fire, sending huge clouds of black smoke upwards, a metro stopped at the station and the smoke entered its coaches as the gates opened.
A 50-second clip shared on social media platform X (formerly Twitter) by a user named Yogesh Namjoshi shows a metro coach filled with thick smoke as people coughed and felt suffocated. Most people had also covered their faces with handkerchiefs, masks and with whatever means they could to avoid inhaling smoke, which was so thick that it affected visibility within the coach, as seen in the video.
“Faced a very serious emergency situation on #MumbaiMetro #redline at #devipada station #Borivali . There was a huge fire outside metro station as a private bus had was on fire , despite that metro stopped at devipada station n doors were opened,” the user captioned his video and tagged Maharashtra chief minister Devendra Fadnavis.
Mumbai Metro’s response
{{/usCountry}}“Faced a very serious emergency situation on #MumbaiMetro #redline at #devipada station #Borivali . There was a huge fire outside metro station as a private bus had was on fire , despite that metro stopped at devipada station n doors were opened,” the user captioned his video and tagged Maharashtra chief minister Devendra Fadnavis.
Mumbai Metro’s response
{{/usCountry}}Reacting to the incident, the Maha Mumbai Metro Operation Corporation Ltd expressed regret over the incident and added that there was no fire or hazard inside the train.
“We regret the inconvenience caused to our valued passengers,” said the metro operator.
“Due to the station’s open design, smoke briefly reached the platform and entered one coach when doors opened. The situation was promptly managed at the next station. There was no fire or hazard inside the train. Metro services continued safely and uninterrupted. We thank commuters for their patience and understanding,” it added.