AC Coaches Of Chhattisgarh-Bound Train Catches Fire, Passengers Evacuated

Durg: Passengers of the Durg (Chhattisgarh)-bound Udhampur Express had a close shave when two airconditioned coaches of the train caught fire on Friday near Hetampur station, between Morena and Dholpur in Madhya Pradesh.

Some eye-witnesses claimed that they had seen four bogies ablaze, but the in-charge of nearby Saraichola police station Rishikesh Sharma said only two compartments were affected – AC coaches A1 and A2.

Fire brigade and police personnel reached the spot to supervise rescue operations.

All passengers were evacuated from the train, and no casualty was reported.

The fire started around 3.30 pm in the A1 compartment, and soon spread to A2 as the train approached Hetampur. The motorman was alerted and he halted the train immediately.

Around 70 passengers managed to come out of the AC coaches, some of them by smashing window panes. But some of their luggage was damaged in the fire.

The two damaged coaches were separated from the train as local people rushed with water to douse the flames.