Twelve passengers were injured on Sunday when they jumped out of a slow-moving train in panic after fumes from a fire extinguisher filled a coach near Bilpur, Uttar Pradesh. The incident occurred in a general coach of the Howrah-Amritsar Mail in the morning, near Bilpur station, which is part of the Moradabad division, according to an official from Northern Railway.
They said, as the fumes spread through the coach, passengers, fearing a fire had broken out, pulled the alarm chain to make an emergency stop. In their panic, many jumped out of the train while it was still moving, resulting in injuries to twelve passengers.
"Prima facie, it looks like some miscreants or unruly passengers operated a fire extinguisher, creating the impression that a fire had broken out in the general coach of the moving Howrah-Amritsar Mail," the officials from the Railways said.
"The Railway Protection Force has launched an investigation into the incident to determine the exact cause and identify those responsible," it added.
Meanwhile, it is pertinent to note that the incident comes amid the Indian Railways has strengthened its initiatives in coordination with GRP/Local Police for safety and security of passengers including women passengers in trains.
(With inputs from PTI)
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