10 die in India train compartment fire

 
At least 10 people have died and over 20 injured in a massive fire that broke out inside a stationary train compartment in Tamil Nadu, private broadcaster NDTV reports, citing a statement from India's Southern Railway.

The fire started on Saturday from a gas cylinder, which was brought illegally inside the compartment at Madurai railway station to prepare tea and snacks.
The flames broke out at 5:15 am, and the fire service personnel arrived at the spot half an hour later, dousing the blaze by 7:15 am.

The coach was booked by a group of people. It was detached and parked at the Madurai Stabling line and was scheduled to return to Lucknow after reaching Chennai on Sunday.

"While the coach was parked, some members of the party in the private party coach were using the illegally smuggled cooking gas cylinder unauthorisedly for preparing tea/snacks, which caused the fire," according to the statement.

Most of the passengers were able to get off the coach after detecting the fire. Some passengers had been already down at the platform.
Families of the dead victims will be paid Rs 1 million each.

Any individual can book a coach for a group of people using the Indian Railway Catering and Tourism Corporation portal. They are not allowed to carry any inflammable material like gas cylinders, the statement says, adding the coach is supposed to be used only for transportation purposes.