A tragic incident occurred when two AC compartments of the Tatanagar-Ernakulam Junction Super-Fast Express caught fire near Visakhapatnam early Monday. One passenger lost their life, while over 150 others narrowly escaped the blaze. The fire originated in the train at Yelamanchili in Anakapalli district, located about 66 km from Visakhapatnam.
Upon discovering the fire onboard, a quick-thinking passenger pulled the emergency chain to halt the train at Yelamanchili Railway Station. Subsequently, railway staff were alerted, who then informed the fire department. Swift action was taken as four fire engines arrived at the scene and battled the flames for two hours.
Efforts by the fire services personnel successfully contained the fire, preventing it from spreading to adjacent compartments and a goods train on a parallel track. Unfortunately, both affected compartments were completely destroyed by the fire, resulting in passengers losing all their belongings.
Anakapalli district Superintendent of Police, Tuhin Sinha, stated that the authorities were notified about the fire at 12:40 a.m. Immediate response from the fire services averted a potential catastrophe, allowing for the safe evacuation of all passengers from the impacted compartments. The B-1 coach housed 82 passengers, while the M-2 coach accommodated 75 individuals at the time of the incident.
The deceased passenger was identified as Chandrasekhar Sundaram, a 70-year-old resident of Vijayawada. His family has been informed of the tragic loss. Following the incident, the two damaged coaches were detached from the train, which continued its journey to Ernakulam after attaching two replacement AC coaches.
Two forensic teams are currently investigating to determine the cause of the fire, as confirmed by a police official. The South Central Railway Safety Commissioner visited the site along with the Superintendent of Police to assess the extent of damage to the gutted compartments.
The fire incident disrupted train services along the route, causing delays for the Godavari and Tirupati-Howrah Express trains heading towards Visakhapatnam. Trains originally scheduled to stop at Yelamanchili are now being diverted to Visakhapatnam. Several other train services, including Puri-Tirupati and Visakhapatnam-Guntur, have also experienced delays due to the aftermath of the fire.
