20230708 Five coaches of Falaknuma Exp catch fire, none injured
India Jul 08 2023 “Automobile & Railway”
Dead : dead 0 or unknown Burnout : 0 or unknown Injured : injured 0 or unknown
Five coaches of Falaknuma Exp catch fire, none injured
Updated: 2023-07-08
BHUBANESWAR: At least 100 passengers travelling in the Howrah-Secunderabad Falaknuma Express had a close shave as fire engulfed five coaches between Bommaipalli and Pagidipalli in Telangana on Friday morning. With memories of the Bahanaga triple-train accident still fresh in the mind, passengers jumped onto the tracks as the train stopped in the nick of time, averting another tragedy.
“I had dozed off when suddenly I heard people screaming and shouting. Subsequently, the train stopped and we jumped off the coach in a hurry. All this happened within a minute,” said Chandan Mohanty, a native of Balasore, who was travelling in the S5 coach.
8 fire tenders brought the blaze under control
We felt relieved after getting down the train. Moments later, fire engulfed the coach,” said Mohanty (22), an electrician who was travelling to Secunderabad to join work. The train caught fire at around 11.25 am. Five sleeper coaches, from S2 to S6, were affected in the fire. The damaged coaches were detached from the train and it reached Secunderabad at 3 pm. Many of the passengers were from Odisha, West Bengal and Bihar.
Eight fire-fighting vehicles, including three multi-purpose tenders, a water tender and a water bowser were rushed to the site to fight the blaze. Three coaches – S4, S5 and S6 – were gutted while the other two were partially damaged.
“Eleven compartments were detached to create a fire separation. But, firefighting kicked off after 30 minutes, awaiting snapping of overhead power supply and by then the flames had spread to adjacent compartments,” a fire department official said.
Mitu Sahu, a youth from Ganjam, said the timely stoppage helped them get down from the train and save lives. “This one decision of the loco pilot and the train staff saved us,” he said.
Ch Rakesh, chief public relations officer of South Central Railway (SCR), said nobody was injured in the incident. “The fire was brought under control in one hour. Senior officials were rushed to the site after the incident,” Rakesh said, adding that investigation is on to ascertain the cause of the fire.
According to an official statement from SCR, the train was immediately stopped and all the passengers safely de-boarded. “There is no injury or casualty to any of the passengers. Further, all the passengers were brought to Secunderabad. While the majority of passengers were brought through by the unaffected coaches, remaining passengers were brought by buses,” said an official source.
Web Source: The Times of India