Twelve passengers were injured when they jumped out of a slow-moving train in panic after some men operated a fire extinguisher and its fumes filled a coach near Uttar Pradesh's Bilpur on Sunday.

The incident took place in a general coach of the Howrah-Amritsar Mail in the morning near Bilpur station, which falls under the Moradabad division, an official of the Northern Railway said. 

Passengers pulled the alarm chain for an emergency stop and jumped out of the train in panic, while it was still moving, the official said and added that '12 passengers were injured'.

"Prima facie, it looks like some miscreants or unruly passenger operated a fire extinguisher which created an impression that a fire had broken out in the general coach of the moving Howrah-Amritsar Mail," he said.

The official added that the Railway Protection Force is investigating the case.  -- PTI