Emergency services at Rochester railway station

by Lynn Cox

A broken air conditioning system might have sparked a major alert last night when several people became unwell on a train.

A major emergency operation was launched at Rochester railway station at about 6pm after several passengers reported suffering breathing difficulties inside a carriage.

Several crews from British Transport Police, Kent Police and South East Coast Ambulance Service were called along with a Kent Fire and Rescue Service incident support unit.

The train, which is believed to have come from London, was stopped at Rochester so paramedics could treat two men who are thought to have collapsed on board.

As a precaution, other commuters were moved from the carriage and it was sealed off so it could be examined.

It is believed a fault with the air conditioning system had caused the problem as it was hot and stuffy on board the train - which is thought to have led to people feeling unwell.

Rhonda Kett, who was on the train, said: "I know the train I got on had two people collapse and we all get moved to another carriage and when I returned there were two police cars as well as two ambulances."

Witnesses outside the station reported seeing as many as seven ambulances and at least four police cars, as well as the incident support unit.

Four people were led off the train and treated by paramedics at the scene. It is believed one man was kept in hospital overnight.

The incident happened on the day commuters staged protests at Chatham and Gillingham stations in opposition to a hike in fares.

The train continued its journey to Ramsgate and the carriage was examined when it arrived.

Tests found there was nothing wrong with the carriage, apart from the faulty air conditioning system.

A British Transport Police spokesman said: "A number of passengers in a carriage on a train between Rochester and Ramsgate reported feeling unwell.

"South East Coast Ambulance Service, Kent Police and BTP officers attended and four people were seen by medics at the scene, with no further medical attention required.

"The incident was reported at 6.41pm. The carriage was isolated and later examined by officers, with nothing untoward found."