One Dead as Fire Guts Coaches of Tatanagar–Ernakulam Express

Visakhapatnam: A tragic fire incident aboard the Tatanagar-Ernakulam Express in the early hours of Monday claimed the life of a 70-year-old passenger and caused massive disruptions.

The deadly blaze erupted around 12:45am on train 18189 on its run from Tatanagar to Ernakulam when it passed through Anakapalli district via the Duvvada section. Officials said the fire occurred in two air-conditioned coaches, B1 and M2, adjacent to the pantry car.

Loco pilots noticed thick smoke and flames near Elamanchili railway station and halted the train. The flames spread with alarming speed, completely gutting both AC coaches before fire fighters reached the spot.

Despite the swift evacuation efforts by the railway staff, one passenger died. He was Chandrasekhar Sundar, a 70-year-old cloth merchant and resident of Vijayawada, who was traveling in berth number 12 of the B1 coach.

The railway police discovered a large sum of cash in his bag. The bag was opened and examined in the presence of the family members. It contained cash of `5.80 lakh, but most of the currency bundles were in a partially burnt state, Anakapalli SP Tuhin Sinha said.

The family said the deceased used to do business between Visakhapatnam and Vijayawada. After selling his materials in Visakhapatnam, Sundar was on his way back to Vijayawada.

Firefighters from Anakapalli, Elamanchili and Nakkapalli rushed to the scene and worked for several hours to bring the fire under control.

After 3:30am, the railways removed the two burnt coaches and began the process of ferrying the passengers to their destinations. The affected coaches, B1 and M2 were detached and an additional AC III tier coach (M1) was added to the train.

The train moved to the Samalakota railway station, where three empty coaches were attached to it. Passengers from the two destroyed AC coaches were transported to Samalakota using three APSRTC buses arranged by the authorities.

Officials at Samalkot said two replacement AC coaches were attached to the train, after which the Tatanagar-Ernakulam Express continued its journey to Ernakulam.

DRM of Vijayawada, Mohit Sonakiya, announced an ex gratia of `5 lakh to the deceased. He said the fire was first reported to the Elamanchili station.

He said the railway staff on board acted swiftly, informing the fire brigade and escorting passengers out of the affected coaches while attempting to extinguish the fire.

Evidence-collection by forensics and the commission of rail safety was in progress on Monday. Railway DIG Satya Yesubabu said the incident occurred when the train crossed the Duvvada station. The train was brought to a halt at Elamanchili railway station, he said.