Panic prevailed among the passengers of the Lokmanya Tilak Express train on Thursday evening as a massive cloud of smoke engulfed the engine. The train was on the way from Dr MGR Chennai Central to Mumbai.
The incident occurred minutes after the train departed Chennai Central. It was between the Basin Bridge and Vysarpadi Railway Stations.
While no injuries were reported, the sudden appearance of smoke triggered panic among the passengers. As the train came to a halt after the driver stopped it, the distressed passengers wasted no time in evacuating the train, jumping off in their haste to escape the potential danger.
One of the main reasons for the panic is that the tragic Balasore incident which claimed numerous lives, was still fresh in the minds of many passengers.
Following the incident, the Southern Railway promptly provided clarification on social media platforms. In a tweet, they clarified that the smoke was not caused by fire but rather a technical issue with the HOG (Head-On Generation) coupler.
It wrote, ‘It is hereby clarified that there was no fire involved. Smoke got emitted due to trouble in the HOG coupler. The same attended and smoke has been stopped. Train resumed its journey.’
