Fire guts Jaynagar-Udhna Express coach at Bihar’s Madhubani station; no casualties

A fire suspected to have been caused by a short circuit gutted a coach of the Jaynagar-Udhna Antyodaya Express at Madhubani station in Bihar.

A fire broke out in a general coach of the Jaynagar-Udhna Antyodaya Express at Bihar’s Madhubani railway station early Thursday, gutting a coach and triggering panic at the station, railway department officials said, adding that no casualties were reported as the weekly train was empty and stationed on platform number 3 for maintenance work when the blaze erupted.

No casualties were reported as the weekly train was empty and stationed on platform number 3 for maintenance work when the blaze erupted. (Screengrab/ ANI)

The train was reportedly scheduled to depart from Jaynagar at 11.50 pm on Thursday and reach Udhna at 9.35 am on Saturday.

Officials suspect that a short circuit triggered the fire in one of the general coaches. Thick black smoke and towering flames were suddenly seen rising from the compartment, prompting station staff and local residents to alert the station master.

The fire spread rapidly and engulfed the coach before firefighters could arrive. Fire brigade personnel brought the blaze under control after intensive efforts. Though chaos briefly prevailed at the station, no passengers or railway staff suffered injuries in the incident.

Divisional Railway Manager (DRM) of Samastipur Jyoti Prakash Mishra reached Madhubani by a special train to inspect the site and review the situation with railway officials. He announced the formation of a high-level inquiry committee to investigate the cause of the fire and examine possible lapses in safety measures.

“Officials from all five departments — safety, Railway Protection Force (RPF), electrical, operations, and security — will examine every single aspect of the matter. We have taken into account all the feedback received; we have spoken with the general public, and we have also interacted with our own employees who were present at the site,” the DRM said.