NEW DELHI: President Droupadi Murmu on Saturday said she was deeply pained to learn about the tragic loss of lives in a fire accident in a stationary train near Madurai junction in Tamil Nadu and prayed for the injured to make a speedy recovery.

At least nine pilgrims bound for Rameswaram in Tamil Nadu met with a tragic end on Saturday when a fire broke out inside the stationary train compartment, the Southern Railway said.

A gas cylinder "illegally" taken inside the coach led to the blaze, it said.

"Deeply pained to learn about the tragic loss of lives in a fire accident in a stationary train near Madurai junction, Tamil Nadu. I express my heartfelt condolences to the bereaved families and pray for the speedy recovery of the injured," Murmu said in a post on X.