The Tirunelveli-Chennai Egmore Vande Bharat Express was detained near Dindigul railway station on Wednesday (July 9, 2025) after “smoke” was seen emerging from one of the air-conditioned (AC) compartments. However, it was later found that passengers had mistaken mist for smoke and pressed the panic button.

A railway official said the mist had emanated from the aerosol fire extinguisher installed in the coach’s restroom.

“A curious passenger attempted to open the aerosol fire extinguisher kept in the coach’s restroom. This triggered panic among fellow passengers, who mistook the mist for smoke,” he said.

Indian Railways had installed aerosol fire extinguishers in the restrooms of Vande Bharat trains as a precautionary measure to tackle potential fires. “In the event of a fire, the aerosol fire extinguisher automatically activates due to the heat generated,” he explained.

However, the passenger might have been attracted by the “flask-like” extinguisher and may have inadvertently removed its pin, causing the mist inside to begin billowing out.

Meanwhile, the fire alarm in the coach, which detected the “smoke”, was triggered. Passengers then pulled the emergency stop chain.

The train was stopped midway between the Thamaraipadi and Vadamadurai railway stations at around 8.50 a.m. After the onboard staff cleared the mist, the train resumed its journey some 25 minutes later.