The S-11 coach of the Tamil Nadu Express 12622 that caught fire in an apparent short circuit, arrived at Chennai Central Railway Station around 11:45 a.m. on Monday.
Coaches from S-11 were delinked and sent to Nellore Railway Station. Passengers from other coaches, including those with minor injuries were accommodated on the same train.
Ahmed, who resides in Chromepet near Chennai, along with five of his friends, had boarded the train from New Delhi. “We were travelling on S-12. I heard people screaming from nearby compartments. We tried to escape but all doors were locked… Someone pulled the chain and the train stopped,” he recalls.
Anxious relatives and friends queued up at the Central Station since 7 a.m. after the news broke out.
The Railways has prominently displayed at its premises the details of 14 passengers who are admitted at various hospitals. Helplines were also opened. Relatives can contact 044-25357398/25330821 for further details.
Medical aid at Railway Hospital
Four persons who were travelling by the S-11 coach were shifted to the Railway Hospital in Perambur after the train reached Chennai Central Station.
According to Station Master S. Govindasamy, "Three of them complained of chest discomfort and one had suffered giddiness." They had come with simple injuries and were medically certified as normal. They are in a state of shock after the incident, he added.
The four persons undergoing treatment at the hospital are: Bhupendra Singh Chander, Omprakash Munna (berth no. 18) and Vinay Singh Chander (berth no. 22). M. Diwakar, aged 38 who was in coach S 10 had also suffered minor injuries.