Ratlam, June 18 (IANS) Panic gripped passengers on the Indore-Bhagat Ki Kothi Ranthambore Express on Thursday after sparks and smoke were seen emanating from the wheels of a general coach near Luni-Richa station in Madhya Pradesh’s Ratlam district. No injuries or casualties were reported.

The incident occurred around 9:45 a.m. on Thursday when Ranthambore Express (12465) from Indore to Jodhpur was passing through Luni-Richa station.

Railway officials said the loco pilot applied emergency brakes, after which smoke started billowing from beneath a general coach at the rear of the train.

As the train halted, passengers scrambled out of the coach with their luggage and moved onto the adjacent tracks.

Videos surfaced on social media from the spot showed a large number of passengers standing between the tracks after someone raised an alarm about a fire. Another train was stationed on the parallel line at the time.

Railway officials said the Ranthambore Express has no scheduled stop at Luni-Richa station. A technical team of the Railways reached the site upon receiving information. The train was inspected and allowed to proceed after a halt of about 20 minutes.

Officials said there was no loss of life or property. “The exact cause of the smoke is under investigation. Preliminary inputs suggest it may have been caused by the emergency brake application. The actual reason will be confirmed after a detailed inquiry,” a railway official said.

Further details on this incident are awaited.

The Ranthambore Express departs Indore at 6 a.m. and reaches Jodhpur around 11:00 p.m. Notably, earlier on May 17, a fire had broken out in the AC coach B-1 of the Rajdhani Express (12431) between Luni-Richa and Vikramgarh stations in Ratlam district. All passengers were evacuated safely, and the affected coaches were detached.

–IANS

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