Train enroute to Bengal catches fire in Punjab, all passengers escape unhurt

Patiala: A major tragedy was averted in Punjab on Friday after four coaches of the Karmabhoomi Express, which was enroute to West Bengal, caught fire near Sarai Banjara in Patiala district, officials said.

All passengers of the Express train escaped unhurt.

Ambala Divisional Railway Manager (DRM) Vinod Kumar Bhatia told reporters that the train was travelling from Amritsar to New Jalpaiguri in West Bengal.

He said: “The fire incident was reported between Rajpura and Sadhu Garh railway stations. When the loco pilot and guard noticed automatic chain pulling (ACP) and dropping of pressure, they quickly brought the train under control. After getting down, they noticed fire and smoke and immediately took precautions.”

Bhatia added that all the passengers were evacuated and the affected coaches were isolated to prevent the fire from spreading to other coaches.

“As soon as the guard informed our control room, we regulated and controlled the trains on the other line as well,” he said.

The DRM also said that initially, one coach was affected, but as strong winds were blowing at the time of the incident, the fire spread to other coaches.

“A total of four coaches were affected. No one was injured and there were no casualties,” he added.

A similar incident was reported from Bihar in August, when a massive fire broke out on the Samastipur-Saharsa Passenger train (63344) at Simri Bakhtiyarpur railway station in the state’s Saharsa district.

The incident triggered panic among passengers and railway staff.

According to information, the fire started near the train’s middle engine and rapidly spread to three coaches.

Thick smoke and towering flames created a chaotic situation at the station.

A large number of passengers were travelling on the train when the fire broke out. As soon as they noticed the flames, passengers began getting off the coaches.

A potentially serious tragedy was averted as all passengers reportedly managed to evacuate safely.

After receiving information about the fire, multiple fire tenders and railway officials reached the station.

Firefighters launched an immediate operation and eventually brought the blaze under control.