Hyderabad: AP Forensic Science Laboratory experts have found the presence of a large amount of oil and greasy material at the Bangalore-Nanded Express train mishap site, raising suspicion on the nature of the mishap.
Forensic experts say that there is no strong evidence yet linking the origin of the fire to a short circuit.
DGP B. Prasada Rao had said earlier on Saturday that preliminary probe had found the cause of the fire to be a short circuit in the air conditioning unit.
Twenty-six passengers were charred to death in the mishap that took place near the Kothacheruvu railway station in Anantapur district.
A CLUES team expert of APFSL said, “We are working on various angles, including the presence of inflammable materials. So far, we haven’t found strong evidence suggesting that short circuit was the cause of the fire. At the mishap site, we found large stains of oil and grease indicating presence of fuel. We can conclude on the matter only after chemical tests of the samples.”
A 13-member APFSL team, led by director A. Saradha, collected samples from the scene. The team is working at the site and on the burnt remains of the gutted B1 coach.
Anantapur SP S. Senthil Kumar said that the investigation and collection of samples had begun.
When contacted, additional DGP of Railways Boobathi Babu said, “The cause of the fire will be known only after experts submit their report. Apart from our forensic teams, the Railway Security Board teams are also working on it. So far we have identified 13 bodies. The relief and rescue operation went on systematically and we have collected evidence.”
When asked about the contradicting versions regarding the fire’s origin, he said it would be finalised only after the investigation and forensic report.
Railway Board chairman Arunendra Kumar inspected the gutted coach of the train at the Puttaparthi railway station on Sunday.
Next: Train inferno caused by inflammable material?
Train inferno caused by inflammable material?
Bangalore: The inferno on Bangalore-Nanded Express on Saturday that killed 26 people may have been caused by inflammable material and not by electrical short circuit alone, said experts.
Trains use direct current and a short circuit by it would not trigger an inferno, they said. Railway officials are taking the easy way out and blaming the short circuit to let guilty officials go scot free, they alleged.
“Are railway officials sure that the fire was not caused by a leaking gas cylinder? Did passengers’ bags contain inflammable material?
Was there a liquor bottle on the bogie that could have triggered the fire? The short circuit theory being floated by the Railways is scientifically unsustainable,” said Vijay Kumar A., an electrical engineer.
Trains ill-equipped to deal with accidents
Sangeeta Bora
Bangalore: There is no doubt that Indian Railways have not learnt any lesson from train mishaps that happen with alarming regularity all over the country.
The fire mishap at Bangalore-Nanded Express on Saturday has once again exposed the chinks in Indian Railways' safety measures. Deccan Chronicle conducted a reality check at the city's Majestic railway station and the revelations were scary.
Many trains did not have the required number of fire safety equipment in place and the provision for emergency windows hardly serves any purpose as the awareness about its presence and usage was low among passengers.
Many passengers are not aware of an emergency window in trains —R. Samuel
When Deccan Chronicle team visited Shatabdi Express heading for Chennai at 11 am, our team was delighted to witness fire extinguishers and emergency windows at all the compartments. However, none of the passengers boarding the train knew how to open the window.
Arvind Sood, a passenger, said, “This is the first time I came to know that this is an emergency window.” Clearly, indicating poor awareness among the passengers.
While another passenger, Rohini Gajendra, a BPO employee said, "I have no idea how to open this window in times of crisis like fire. Unlike flights there is no way of informing the passengers about the safety measures in place on a train. If not a demo, they can give a pamphlet or put up posters on the train to help people understanding the usage of these emergency facilities."
Deccan Chronicle contacted Praveen Pandey, Senior Divisional Safety Officer, South Western Railway to know the safety measures that should be in place.
He said, "Every coach should have at least four fire extinguishers, two in one end and other two in the opposite end.
Similarly, each compartment should have emergency window marked with red. We also keep checking them from time to time to see if they are jammed.
As of now we have all the safety measures in place. As far as Bengaluru-Nanded Express mishap is concerned, the circumstances are still under investigation. Of course, we will take these issues under consideration. However, soon we will start campaigns to create awareness on these lines.
Next: Public unaware of safety measures
Public unaware of safety measures
Sangeeta Bora
Bangalore: There is no doubt that Indian Railways has not learnt any lesson from train mishaps that happen with alarming regularity all over the country.
The fire mishap at Bangalore-Nanded Express on Saturday has once again exposed the chinks in Railways’ safety measures.
Deccan Chronicle conducted a reality check at the city’s Majestic railway station and the revelations were scary.
Officials inspect the charred bogie of Bangalore-Nanded Express which caught fire on Saturday killing 26 people at Anatapur. — DC
Many trains did not have the required number of fire safety equipment in place. Safety measure like emergency windows, which are in place, hardly serve any purpose as the awareness about their presence and usage is very poor among passengers.
When DC team visited Shatabdi Express heading for Chennai at 11 am, it was delighted to witness fire extinguishers and emergency windows at all the compartments. HowEver, none of the passengers boarding the train knew how to open the window.
Arvind Sood, a passenger, said, “This is the first time I came to know that this is an emergency window.”
Such a response clearly indicates poor awareness among passengers about such safety measures.
While another passenger, Rohini Gajendra, a BPO employee said, “I have no idea how to open this window in times of crisis like fire. Unlike flights there is no way of informing the passengers about the safety measures in place on a train. If not a demo, they can give a pamphlet or put up posters on the train to help people understanding the usage of these emergency facilities.”
When asked about the saftey measures which should be in place, Praveen Pandey, senior divisional safety officer, South Western Railway said, “Every coach should have at least four fire extinguishers, two in one end and other two in the opposite end. Similarly, each compartment should have emergency window marked with red. We also keep checking them from time to time to see if they are jammed. As of now we have all the safety measures in place. As far as Bangalore-Nanded Express mishap is concerned, the circumstances are still under investigation. Of course, we will take these issues under consideration. However, soon we will start campaigns to create awareness on these lines.”
