Odisha: Fire breaks out in Howrah-bound Jan Shatabdi Express; no one hurt

The train was on its way to Howrah from Bhubaneswar when the blaze was spotted beneath a coach around 6.30 am at Cuttack station

Published on: Dec 7, 2023, 10:08:36 IST

By Debabrata Mohanty

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A fire broke out in the Howrah-bound Jan Shatabdi Express at Cuttack station on Thursday morning when the brakes failed to release from one of the wheels, railway officials said. No one was hurt.

The train was on its way to Howrah from Bhubaneswar when the blaze was spotted beneath a coach around 6.30 am. Fire services personnel were pressed into service soon and the flame was brought under control.

East Coast Railway officials said due to brake-binding (brake not released from the wheels), the fire broke out under one of the coaches of train. “Soon after the fire was spotted, firefighters and RPF personnel immediately doused it. After releasing the brake from the wheel, the train departed from Cuttack at about 7.15 am. No one was hurt,” said a spokesperson of East Coast Railway.

A passenger travelling in the train said all of them were deboarded from the train as a precautionary measure. “It took them around 30 minutes to douse the fire completely,” he said.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Debabrata Mohanty
Debabrata Mohanty is a senior assistant editor of Hindustan Times who works as state correspondent from Odisha covering the state's politics, governance, public policy, natural disasters, environment and its society for close to three decades. With his long years of reporting from the state capital of Bhubaneswar, Mohanty has been known as one of the most experienced and credible journalists covering Odisha for the national English dailies. His reporting combines on-ground detail with deep institutional knowledge detailing the state's changing politics, governance issues, administrative reforms and the functioning of its public institutions. He has regularly reported on issues ranging from legislative developments and public policy implementation. Politics is his core areas of expertise as he closely tracks Odisha's political landscape, including the rise and transformation of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), the Biju Janata Dal (BJD), the two principal political parties in Odisha. His long association with the state's political establishment enables him to write on contemporary developments in a larger political context. Mohanty takes a deep interest in writing human interest stories, environmental issues and documenting the impact of cyclones, floods, heatwaves, and other climate-related events in one of the most disaster-prone states. His coverage extends to public health, governance reforms and stories on accountability of government institutions. Before joining Hindustan Times, Mohanty worked with The Indian Express, Mail Today, and The Telegraph, where he covered at least six general elections and as many assembly elections. In 2007, he was selected for the prestigious Chevening Young Indian Print Journalist Programme at the University of Lincoln, United Kingdom, where he received advanced training in print journalism. In 2009 he won the Press Institute of India-International Committee of Red Cross award on conflict reporting for his on-ground reportage of 2008 Kandhamal riots.Read More