A fire broke out in a parked train bogie in southern India on Saturday when a passenger tried to make tea, killing at least nine people, officials said.

The detached coach was standing at the Madurai railway yard in the southern state of Tamil Nadu when the fire broke out before dawn.

“It was a single, stationary coach booked by a private tourist operator. Someone tried to make tea and it caught fire,” Madurai district spokeswoman Sali Thalapathy told AFP.

“Nine people have died, three of them women. Nine others are injured but their injuries are not life-threatening.”

He said that so far none of the bodies have been identified.

Also read: At least 17 killed in Indian Railways bridge collapse: Officials

In the footage, huge flames are seen coming out of the windows of the train compartment.

Some passengers managed to escape the fire in time.

Local media reports said the passengers had illegally brought a gas cylinder, which exploded when they tried to use it.

India has one of the largest rail networks in the world and has seen several disasters over the years, the worst being in 1981 when a train derailed while crossing a bridge in the state of Bihar and plunged into the river below. Due to which 800 people died.

In June, nearly 300 people were killed in a triple-train collision in the state of Odisha.