9 killed, 50 injured in fire inside train coach in south India

NEW DELHI, Aug. 26 (Xinhua) -- At least nine people died and nearly 50 were injured after a fire broke out inside a coach of a stationary train following a cylinder blast in India's southern state of Tamil Nadu on Saturday.

The mishap occurred near the Madurai railway station in the state. All the deceased were pilgrims and came from the northern state of Uttar Pradesh.

The train's private coach had arrived from Uttar Pradesh on Saturday and had been parked near the railway station. "The LPG cylinder which exploded was being illegally carried inside the coach," said a senior official of the Southern Railway.

"The passengers in the private coach have illegally smuggled gas cylinder and this caused the fire. Many passengers got out of the coach on noticing the fire," said a statement issued by the Southern Railways.