Hyderabad: Five compartments of the Hyderabad-bound Falaknuma Express (Howrah-Secunderabad) caught fire near Bommaipalli, about 50 KM from here on Friday but nobody was hurt in the incident, officials said.
A senior official of the South Central Railway said three compartments (S4, S5 and S6) were damaged completely and two partially in the fire.
“All passengers are safely evacuated and shifted in buses after a fire broke out in the Falaknuma Express near Bhongir rural PS limits. Police, Fire Dept, and Railways are working in coordination. So far, no fatalities have been reported. Out of 18 coaches, 11 are detached and taken away safely. 7 bogies caught fire, out of which fire is extinguished in 3 bogies as of now,” Telangana DGP Anjani Kumar tweeted at 1.37 PM.
”Situation is totally under control. No injuries, no causalities. All the passengers are safe,” a SCR official told news agency. An eyewitness told TV channels that all the passengers were alighted after the fire was noticed. A railway employee said one of his colleagues noticed smoke coming from a compartment prompting the loco pilot to stop the train and evacuate the passengers from the train.
Fire tenders and other rescue machinery including local police reached the spot to extend help. A passenger told a TV channel that the luggage of several passengers was gutted in the fire as they did not have enough time to collect them.
Another passenger who got down from the train said her luggage, along with her educational certificates, was gutted in the fire. As many as 12 busses were pressed into service to ferry stranded passengers to Hyderabad. An SCR spokesperson while refusing to attribute reasons for the fire said, ”It is premature to ascertain the reasons at this point of time.
A thorough inquiry will be conducted to find out the reasons.” An anonymous letter warning of a ”Balasore-like train tragedy” on the ”Hyderabad-Delhi-Hyderabad” route was sent to the South Central Railway (SCR) here recently. The SCR authorities informed the Telangana Police about the letter.
PTI