Smoke in Metro sparks panic, commuters evacuate coach

A loud sound was heard in the last coach of a packed train at the Central Secretariat Metro station on Wednesday morning, sparking panic among commuters. Soon, smoke started emanating from the ceiling.

The Central Industrial Security Force (CISF) and Delhi Metro Rail Corporation (DMRC) personnel, however, brought the situation under control quickly and evacuated all passengers at Rajiv Chowk station.

The incident took place in the last coach of a Samaypur Badli-bound train on the Yellow Line. According to witnesses, a loud sound was heard at 10:17 am. The commuters perceived it to be a technical fault. Within five minutes, however, another loud sound was heard and dense smoke started emanating from the AC duct of the coach.

This sparked panic among commuters as it was the peak hour and the train was packed.

"The coach was crowded. It looked like there was fire. The second explosion, which apparently sparked fire in the AC duct, could have resulted in a major disaster," a commuter said.

The commuters immediately alerted the driver and the DMRC staffers at the Patel Chowk station, where the train had stopped. Some of the commuters got down from the train there.

At Rajiv Chowk, the CISF and the DMRC teams were already on standby after receiving messages from the train driver. As soon as the train arrived, all the passengers were evacuated and the train was sent to the yard, a senior CISF officer said.

The corporation's technical experts then attended to the coach.

"It was peak hour and the incident could have turned into a huge disaster. But our personnel acted promptly," a senior CISF officer said.

HOW IT HAPPENED

• Commuters heard a loud explosion at 10:17 am at the Central Secretariat Metro Station in the yellow line.
   
• After that, another explosion was heard and the AC ducts started to emit smoke.
   
• The driver sent a message to CISF, who helped passengers evacuate at Rajiv Chowk.