Two coaches of the New Delhi-Vishakhapatnam AP Express caught fire near the Birla Nagar station in Gwalior, Madhya Pradesh, on Monday afternoon, but the passengers escaped unhurt.
An official said some passengers initially detected smoke coming out of the B-7 coach of the train and raised alarm. The fire spread to the toilet area of coaches B6 and B7. “The local fire brigade was informed immediately... meanwhile, the passengers were carefully evacuated,” an official said.
Two coaches — B-6 and B-7 — of train No. 22416 (New Delhi - Visakhapatnam), a fully air-conditioned express, caught fire around 11.45 a.m., North Central Railway’s (NCR) chief public relations officer Gaurav Krishna Bansal said.
The fire broke out in the B7 coach and spread to the B-6 coach, North Central Railway’s Jhansi Division public relations officer Manoj Singh said. Some passengers pulled the emergency chain to stop the train and got down, he said, adding that fire tenders later doused the blaze.
Thirty-seven deputy collectors, who were returning from training, were on board the train, but they were not injured in the incident, an official said.
“Both coaches were detached from the train and the rest were sent to Gwalior. Around 15:52, 14-coach 22416 train with all passengers departed from Gwalior Station for its destination. Two more coaches will be attached at Itarsi station,” a Railways official added.
The North Central Railway’s chief safety officer S.K. Kashyap said that a team headed by him would inquire into the mishap and submit a report in three days.
(With PTI inputs)
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