Smoke from coach halts Vande Bharat Express near Aluva in Kerala

Passengers in the C5 coach of the Thiruvananthapuram-Kasaragod Vande Bharat Express experienced some tense moments after smoke engulfed the bogie as the train was nearing the Aluva railway station in Ernakulam district of Kerala around 8.55 a.m on Wednesday. No casualty was reported.

Passengers in the C5 coach of the Thiruvananthapuram-Kasaragod Vande Bharat Express experienced some tense moments after smoke engulfed the bogie as the train was nearing the Aluva railway station in Ernakulam district of Kerala around 8.55 a.m on February 28 (Wednesday). No casualty was reported.

The train was halted at an unscheduled stop between Kalamassery and Aluva and the passengers were shifted to the nearby coach. The journey was resumed from the Aluva station by around 9.25 a.m.

Though the passengers initially suspected a leak from the air-conditioning unit, the Railways have clarified that the smoke emerged following the automatic activation of the fire extinguisher inside the toilet in the coach.

The CCTV footage will be examined after the train reaches Kasaragod to ascertain whether any passenger had smoked inside the toilet, resulting in the automatic activation of the fire extinguisher. The false fire alarm had resulted in the emission of powder-like smoke from the fire extinguisher, they said.

Authorities pointed out that the pin of the fire extinguisher was found in a released state. The evidence from the footage is expected to confirm whether someone had released it deliberately, they said.

As the smoke spread, a few of the passengers experienced mild suffocation, causing them to cough. They remained tense as the fire alarm kept ringing for some time. The situation was brought under control after the train reached the Aluva station.