COIMBATORE: Panic gripped passengers after a train on the Nilgiri Mountain Railway (NMR) jumped the tracks a few metres after departing from the Coonoor station on Thursday. No injuries were reported in the incident, which officials termed as minor.
According to railway sources, the Nilgiri Mountain Railway (NMR) train started sloping down towards Mettupalayam when the incident occurred. The fourth carriage of the train went off the track, but the alert loco pilot stopped the train immediately. Over 150 passengers who were on board the train were taken to Mettupalayam in buses, sources added.
Railway officials said train services between Coonoor in Nilgiris and Mettupalayam in Coimbatore will remain suspended till the line is cleared. They added that an investigation into the cause of the derailment was underway.
Efforts to reach the director of matriculation schools, S Nagarajamurugan, regarding the situation, went in vain.