Vande Bharat Halted Near Dindigul Over Fire Extinguisher Mist Misinterpreted as Smoke

Quick Summary

• The Tirunelveli-Chennai Egmore Vande Bharat Express was detained near Dindigul railway station on July 9, 2025, due to perceived “smoke” emerging from an air-conditioned (AC) compartment.
• Passengers mistakenly identified mist emanating from an aerosol fire extinguisher in the coach’s restroom as smoke and pressed the panic button.
• A railway official clarified the mist resulted from a curious passenger tampering with a “flask-like” aerosol fire extinguisher installed to tackle fires during emergencies.
• The tampering inadvertently caused the extinguisher’s pin removal, leading the aerosol to billow out mist and triggering both the smoke alarm and emergency chain activation by passengers.
• The train stopped briefly between Thamaraipadi and Vadamadurai stations around 8:50 a.m. and resumed its journey after onboard staff cleared the mist approximately 25 minutes later.

Indian Opinion analysis
The incident showcases one of India’s advancements in enhancing passenger safety protocols through innovations like installing aerosol fire extinguishers in trains such as Vande Bharat Express. While designed for emergencies,this episode highlights potential gaps in passenger awareness regarding onboard safety features. Curiosity-driven interference not only delayed operations but also revealed how unfamiliarity with modern safety technology can lead to confusion or panic among travelers.

The quick resolution of this issue reflects effective response mechanisms by Indian Railways’ staff, ensuring minimal disruption to schedules-a commendable practice given India’s interconnectivity challenges across vast rail networks. Moving forward,conducting awareness campaigns for passengers about emergency equipment could prevent similar incidents while instilling confidence about travel safety standards aboard advanced train services like vande Bharat.

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