[Watch] 3 AC Coaches Of Korba-Visakhapatnam Express Catch Fire, None Hurt

Visakhapatnam: A fire broke out in the 18517 Korba-Visakhapatnam Express at Visakhapatnam railway station on Sunday morning, causing damage to an empty coach. No casualties were reported so far.

The train had arrived at the station at 6.30 am. The coaches were kept on Platform number 4. The fire broke out in the B-7 coach around 10 am. The passengers on the platform noticed the smoke emanating from the coach and alerted the railway personnel, reports stated.

The fire reportedly spread to B-6 and M-1 coaches as well. The affected coaches were detached from the train and removed from the site.

“The RPF personnel immediately alerted the fire brigade and also the staff available at the station. They also came in as reinforcements to douse the fire. The fire has been doused at 11:10 am,” Waltair Division DRM, Saurabh Prasad, told ANI.

“Leaving aside the two adjacent coaches as per protocol, the rest of the rake were immediately evacuated to the coaching depot. Once we got clearance from the AP fire department, the adjacent coaches of this particular B7 coach were also evacuated and taken to the coaching depot,” he added.

The Railway will conduct a detailed investigation into the matter. The rake was stabled on the platform as there is bunching of trains between 5 am and 9.20 am at Visakhapatnam station, the Railways claimed, adding that only one coach had caught fire and the other coaches remained unaffected.

The same rake would be utilised to run the Visakhapatnam-Kadapa Tirumala Express, which leaves from Visakhapatnam junction at 2 pm, according to a The Hindu report. The railway officials claimed that Tirumala Express would not be affected as the damaged coach would be replaced.