Two Coaches Gutted as Fire Breaks Out on Tatanagar–Ernakulam Super Fast Express in Andhra Pradesh

India

oi-Ashish Rana

A
fire
broke
out
in
two
coaches
of
the
Tatanagar-Ernakulam
Junction
Super
Fast
Express
during
the
early
hours
of
Monday,
December
29,
triggering
panic
but
with
officials
maintaining
that
there
were
no
confirmed
casualties.

The
incident
took
place
near
Yelamanchili
railway
station
in
Anakapalli
district
of
Andhra
Pradesh,
prompting
an
immediate
emergency
response.

Fire
breaks
out
near
Yelamanchili
station

The
blaze
was
reported
at
around
1.11
am
on
Train
No.
18189
while
it
was
passing
near
Yelamanchili
railway
station
in
Anakapalli
district
of
Andhra
Pradesh.
According
to
officials
from
South
Central
Railway,
two
coaches
were
affected
in
the
incident.

Coach
numbers
B-1
and
M-2
were
engulfed
in
flames
and
suffered
extensive
damage.
Railway
authorities
said
the
fire
was
noticed
by
staff
on
board,
who
quickly
raised
an
alarm
and
informed
emergency
services.

Emergency
response
and
firefighting
operation

Soon
after
the
alert,
fire
department
teams
were
rushed
to
the
location.
A
couple
of
fire
tenders
reached
the
site
and
worked
to
control
the
blaze,
continuing
operations
until
the
fire
was
fully
extinguished.
Officials
on
the
ground
said
the
response
was
swift,
helping
prevent
the
fire
from
spreading
to
other
coaches.

Railway
staff
also
ensured
that
passengers
were
moved
to
safety
while
firefighting
efforts
were
underway.

Conflicting
reports
on
casualties

While
initial
statements
from
railway
officials
ruled
out
any
loss
of
life,
unconfirmed
sources
claimed
that
one
person
may
have
been
charred
to
death
in
the
incident.
Authorities
have
said
these
reports
are
yet
to
be
verified
and
that
confirmation
would
only
come
after
a
detailed
assessment.

Senior
railway
officials
arrived
at
the
spot
soon
after
the
incident
and
are
closely
monitoring
the
situation.
Both
damaged
coaches
have
been
detached
from
the
train
as
a
precautionary
measure.

Investigation
underway
to
determine
cause

A
senior
official
present
at
the
site
said,
“the
fire
was
huge,” adding
that
investigations
are
ongoing
to
establish
the
exact
cause
of
the
blaze
and
to
ascertain
whether
there
were
any
casualties.
Railway
authorities
have
said
further
details
will
be
shared
once
the
inquiry
progresses.