Nine passengers, including three women, sustained burns when an unidentified man tried to set fire to a compartment of the Alappuzha-Kannur Executive Express when it was crossing the Korappuzha bridge in Kozhikode on Sunday night.
According to Government Railway Police sources, the man reportedly poured some inflammable substance on the floor of the compartment before setting it afire around 9.30 p.m. The injured have been admitted to various private and government hospitals at Koyilandy and Kozhikode.
The police said the man resorted to the extreme step following a heated exchange of words with some of the passengers on the train. He fled when the train stopped near Elathur after some passengers pulled the alarm chain.
Many passengers had a narrow escape from burns as they quickly moved to nearby compartments.
The Elathur police said they were yet to track the suspect. The Railway Protection Force also reached the spot as part of an intensified search for him. The train was temporarily halted at Koyilandy station.
