A false fire alarm on Jet Airways’ Mumbai-Chennai flight on Friday evening caused panic among passengers. Fifteen of them sustained minor injuries after the pilot resorted to emergency evacuation.

The flight — 9W 2302 —had started taxiing towards the main runway 09-27 for take-off at 8.55pm when fire was reported in one of its engines. There were 140 passengers on board.

“An alarm went off in the cockpit, indicating that there was fire in the left engine of the Boeing 737 aircraft. Although there was no visible sign of fire, the captain decided on emergency evacuation of the passengers,” said an official from Mumbai International Airport Ltd (MIAL).

“The emergency door was open on the right side of the aircraft and passengers were made to slide down through the chutes. In the process, around 15 passengers received minor bruises on their hands and feet. Three of them received fractures,” said Manish Kalgatgi, spokesperson, MIAL.

A Jet Airways spokesperson said: “All passengers on board had deplaned safely and a thorough inspection of the engine was carried out. We are arranging to send the passengers by next flight.”