Mumbai: Megastar Amitabh Bachchan on Sunday (July 28) showered praise on the successful rescue operation of passengers on board Mahalaxmi Express after the train was stranded due to flooding on the tracks following heavy rains.

All 1,050 passengers on board the Kolhapur-bound train were rescued on Saturday (July 27) in a multi-agency operation nearly 17 hours after it was stranded near Vangani in Thane district. 

Teams of National Disaster Response Force (NDRF), navy, air force, army, railways and state administration rescued the passengers. 

"Congratulations to the NDRF team... they have successfully rescued 700 passengers from the Mahalaxmi Express! Well done NDRF, Navy, IAF, Railways and State Admin ..This is a brave and successful operation! Filled with pride. Jai Hind!" Bachchan tweeted. 

The train had left Mumbai for Kolhapur on Friday (July 26) night, but could not travel beyond Vangani, where it reached in the wee hours of Saturday (July 27).

Reacting to this, Union Minister of State for Home Affairs, Nityanand Rai, spoke to Maharashtra chief minister Devendra Fadnavis and assured him that all central assistance would be provided to the state.