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Hundreds of passengers on board a Delhi Metro had a harrowing experience on Sunday when they got stuck inside for over an hour when the train, part of which was reportedly inside a tunnel, came to a halt between two stations due to power failure.
The brand new train, inducted into service just weeks ago, got stuck between Rajiv Chowk and Ramakrishna Ashram
Marg and panic-gripped passengers who opened emergency doors and started walking on the tracks despite announcements by the train operator to remain calm.
There were reports that some people were injured due to a stampede-like situation, but neither police nor DMRC confirmed the incident.
Passengers said they "got scared as some part of the train was inside a tunnel and the remaining on the ramp". They also said there was no power inside the train.
The incident happened around 3.15 pm when the train bound for Dwarka Sector-9 came to a halt between the two stations due to the Auxiliary Power System failure.
"As a result, the traction motor of this train was not powering up," DMRC spokesman Anuj Dayal said.
Basant Kumar, a media professional who was on the train, said: "There was utter chaos inside the train. People got scared as the train did not move beyond the point. There was no power. We were stuck inside for over an hour. Though there were announcements to remain calm, people could not wait."
The incident comes two months after a metro train derailed near the Yamuna Bridge, raising questions over the safety of the new age transport system.