One person was killed after two compartments of the Tatanagar-Ernakulam Express caught fire at Yalamanchili, about 66 km from Visakhapatanam, police said on Monday. The police received information about the fire at 12:45 am.
A police official told reporters that there were 82 passengers in one of the affected coaches and 76 in another when the train caught fire. "Unfortunately, a dead body was found in the B1 coach," the official added. The deceased was identified as Chandrasekhar Sundaram.
Initial investigations indicated that the fire did not originate from the electrical panel side of the coach, which is usually the case, but from the linen storage area. Further investigation is underway, said a press release from the Vijayawada Division of the South Central Railway (SCR). It announced that ex gratia would be paid to the family of the deceased.
The two damaged coaches were detached from the train, which proceeded towards Ernakulam. The passengers in the damaged coaches will be sent to their destinations. Two forensic teams are working to ascertain the cause of the fire.
The SCR, in a statement, said B1 and M2 coaches of the train (No.18189) caught fire and the Railway staff swiftly acted and immediately informed the Fire brigade. The Railway officials also swung into action and assisted passengers in deboarding the train.
The fire brigade reached the spot and extinguished the fire. As a precaution, both the affected coaches and an additional AC III Tier Coach (M1) were detached by creating a gap and pulled away using a shunting locomotive to prevent the fire from spreading further. The remaining coaches are currently being moved to Samalkot Railway Station, where three empty replacement coaches will be attached to the formation.
Meanwhile, passengers from the affected coaches are being shifted to Samalkot station by arranging bus services. All necessary precautions in coordination with local administration are being taken, even as the SCR has set up Helpline Numbers to provide assistance and train running information, the release added.
Meanwhile, Anakapalli District Collector Vijaya Krishnan said a pressure imbalance was detected when brakes were applied at Yelamanchili station, which triggered an alert on the engine noticed by the loco pilot and station staff.
“Smoke was observed, and passengers were immediately evacuated. A total of 143 passengers were safely deboarded,” the collector told media. The collector said the Railway Forensic Department would ascertain the exact cause of the incident after examining the affected coaches, adding that stranded passengers were provided with food and drinking water before the remaining coaches resumed their journey towards Ernakulam.