Smoke scare in coach of Nellai-Chennai Vande Bharat
The incident took place near Thamaraipadi, between Dindigul and Vadamadurai.
The train was halted for nearly 30 minutes, but officials later clarified that the incident was due to a false alarm triggered by the restroom's fire extinguisher system.
According to railway officials, the incident occurred around 8.49am. The extinguisher, designed to automatically discharge in the event of high heat or flames, emitted a dense mist that several passengers mistook for smoke.
The emergency alarm was activated, and the train was immediately brought to a halt between stations. Videos that later surfaced online showed alarmed passengers moving to adjacent coaches and calling for the train to stop. Technical staff on board inspected the coach, opened all doors to ventilate the mist, and reset the fire detection system (FDS). The train resumed its journey by 9.16am, officials said.
Railway officials clarified that the mist was not the result of any fire or mechanical fault, and no injuries were reported. "The passenger might have been curious and removed the pin from the flask-like extinguisher," a senior official said, urging passengers not to handle safety equipment unnecessarily.
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