Bihar: AC coach of Danapur-LTT special train catches fire; passengers evacuated safely

Eyewitnesses said that seeing the flames, the passengers panicked and pulled the alarm chain and jumped out after the train stopped

An AC coach of the Danapur-LTT special train (01410) en route to Lokmanya Tilak in Mumbai caught fire near the Karisath Railway station on the Patna-New Delhi route under the Danapur division of the East Central Railways (ECR). All the passengers were evacuated safely.

For representational purposes only. (AFP File Photo)

According to the ECR, the special train departed from Danapur around 11.06pm on Tuesday and left Ara around 11.58pm.

The loco pilot slammed the emergency brakes and stopped the train at Karisath railway station, 21km from Ara Junction. The fire broke out in the M9 (economy coach).

Eyewitnesses said that seeing the flames, the passengers panicked and pulled the alarm chain. As soon as the train stopped, the passengers and the staff on the coach jumped out of the train. Some passengers could not even take their belongings as the fire engulfed the entire coach.

The railways staff disconnected the coach from the rest of the train though it was positioned right in the middle, thereby securing other bogies.

Operations of more than 12 trains, including the Rajdhani Express, were affected due to the disruption on the main track.

Birendra Kumar, chief public relation officer of the ECR, said that some passengers who were travelling in the coach were later shifted to another coach and sent to LTT. The cause of the fire is being investigated.

DRM Danapur also reached the spot along with the a team of officials to assess the situation.