NEW DELHI, Dec 29: One passenger was killed in a fire which broke out in two AC coaches of train no. 18189 Tata-Ernakulam Express at Elamanchili railway station under Vijayawada Division of South Central Railway, in the early hours of Monday.
The other passengers in the two coaches had miraculous escapes.
The train was going from Tatanagar to Ernakulam. It was around 12:45 a.m., when the train was nearing Yelamanchili railway station, a passenger noticed fire in one of the AC coaches and pulled the chain and the train stopped at Yelamanchili. He alerted the other passengers and they rushed out to safety, according to sources.
A total of 82 passengers were travelling in one of the coaches while 76 were travelling in the other. Both the coaches, B1 and M2 were fully gutted in the fire. The victim was identified as Chandrasekhar Sunder (75) of Vijayawada, who was travelling in the B1 coach. All the other passengers are safe, according to railway sources.
The two affected coaches were separated from the train and two other coaches were attached in their place. The train was thoroughly inspected and was allowed to proceed after a seven-hour delay.
The railway staff acted swiftly and informed the fire brigade. Railway officials also swung into action and took up immediate measures. The fire was brought under control by the Fire Brigade personnel. Both the affected coaches and also AC III Tier coach (M1) were detached as a precautionary measure, according to sources.
Passengers of the two affected coaches were shifted to Samalkot railway station by buses. Meanwhile, Commissioner of Railway Safety/SCR, DRM, Vijayawada, and senior officials rushed to the spot. Home Minister V. Anita, TDP State president Palla Srinivasa Rao condoled the death of the passenger and expressed their sympathies to the bereaved family members.
(Manas Dasgupta)
