Smoke scare sparks panic on Humsafar Express

Silchar: A smoke scare inside a tunnel in Dima Hasao district triggered panic among passengers of the 12504 Agartala-SMVT Bengaluru Humsafar Express on Tuesday afternoon, forcing many to jump off the train and flee through the darkness.The incident occurred around 1.30pm when the train was passing through tunnel number 9, just before its scheduled halt at New Haflong station. Passengers said smoke suddenly started emanating from different parts of the AC coaches, sparking fears of a fire. The train came to a halt inside the pitch-dark tunnel, leading to chaotic scenes as travellers rushed through the coaches in panic.Several passengers disembarked on to the tracks and began walking towards Jatinga Lampur. In the melee, at least two passengers suffered minor injuries.Railway staff from New Haflong rushed to the site after receiving an alert and managed to bring the situation under control. A trolley was deployed to bring back passengers who had walked some distance. The train was later moved to New Haflong station, where it remained stranded for nearly four hours before resuming its journey to Bengaluru.An investigation later revealed that the scare was a false alarm. Preliminary reports suggested that the smoke detectors in the three-tier AC coaches had been triggered, possibly due to passengers smoking near the toilets. This set off the alarm system and released smoke from the detectors themselves. Panic escalated when the emergency chain was pulled, halting the train inside the tunnel, where engine fumes added to the confusion.Sources at New Haflong station said railway authorities are reviewing the episode to prevent such incidents in the future.