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13 injured as two coaches of Patalkot Express train catch fire in Agra
Agra Zone divisional railway manager Tej Prakash Agarwal has promised a high-level probe into the incident.
At least 13 people were injured after two general coaches of Patalkot Express train caught fire in Agra district on Wednesday afternoon, officials confirmed.
The running train caught fire when it was on the Agra–Jhansi line after which a total of four coaches were detached from the train amid fears of the fire spreading.
Deputy commissioner of police (DCP) of Agra West Sonam Kumar said seven passengers sustained minor burn injuries and were admitted to the emergency ward of SN Medical College and Hospital. The other six passengers were admitted to a health facility near the spot where the train was stopped, the DCP, who was present at the site, said.
Agra Zone divisional railway manager Tej Prakash Agarwal has promised a high-level probe into the incident.
“After railway staff saw smoke emanating from a coach in the running Patalkot Express, information was passed on to a station master and necessary measures were taken to stop the train,” he added.
“Technical experts, along with senior railway authorities, reached the spot near Bhandai, which is about 10 kms from Agra. Around half a dozen people were injured and admitted to SN Medical College and Hospital in Agra,” Prashasti Srivastava, the spokesperson for Agra Zone of North Central Railways, said.
“Initially, smoke was detected in one of the coaches of Patalkot Express... The train was brought to a halt around 3.45 pm on Wednesday. In all, four bogies were detached... Five fire engines were pressed into action to douse the fire,” Srivastava added.
The spokesperson said many passengers were relocated through Durg Humsafar Express, which had stopped at a nearby track.
On Wednesday, Patalkot Express began from Firozpur (Punjab) at 4.10 am and reached Agra Cantt around 3.13 pm before leaving for Gwalior, the next station. As it crossed Bhandai railway station, smoke was spotted on the train, which was stopped before it could reach Jajau on Agra-Jhansi line.
The train eventually left for Gwalior at 7.30 pm. However, the delay caused disruption in the normal traffic movement on the Agra-Jhansi line due to which some trains were stranded for hours at the Agra Cantt station.
‘Lost my educational docs, phone, money in fire’
“I was looking at my phone when I saw the smoke filling my coach. Chaos and panic gripped passengers as everyone ran towards the gate. Many, including I, vomited because of the smoke,” said Mohit Kumar (30), who with his friend Shivam, had boarded the train at Mathura.
“In the panic, I left my bag that had my high school and intermediate original marksheets, beside other documents. The bag also had money. I even lost my phone in the panic,” Kumar said from the emergency ward of SN Medical College and Hospital.
Rahul Kumar (24) boarded the train at Bahadurgarh, Haryana to go to Jhansi where he was supposed to write an exam on Friday. “As there was smoke all around, I ran to another coach and pulled the chain. We jumped out in panic when the train stopped. But I couldn’t get two of my bags in time,” Rahul said from his hospital bed.
