Bhubaneswar: With June 2 Bahanaga Bazar triple train tragedy still fresh in mind, panic gripped passengers of Puri-Durg Express as brake pads of the AC coach of caught fire near Khariar Road in Odisha’s Nuapada district around 10 pm last night due to certain glitches in the brake shoe.
The East Coast Railway (ECoR), in a statement, later said that smoke was detected in the B3 coach of the train as it reached Khariar Road station on Thursday evening. The fire was attributed to friction and incomplete release of brakes. “In B3 coach of 18426 at Khariar Road station arrival at 22.07 hrs (10:07 pm). The brakes were not released after ACP (alarm chain pulling). The brake pads caught fire due to friction and due to the incomplete release of the brakes. No fire inside the coach. Fire only at brake pads,” it said.
Many passengers had rushed out of the train when the smoke was detected, causing panic among several others. The Fire Brigade personnel soon reached the spot and doused the flames.
The railway authorities rectified the problem in less than an hour and the train departed the station at 11 pm. No damage was reported.
The incident cames days after one of the country’s worst train tragedies in Odisha’s Balasore district, involving Bengaluru-Howrah Superfast Express, Shalimar-Chennai Central Coromandel Express and a goods train, which claimed 288 lives and left more than 1,100 people injured.
The state also saw six labourers being run over by a goods train at Jajpur Road railway station on Wednesday.
