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Madurai train tragedy: Railways begins probe after nine die in private coach blaze

Aug 28, 2023 01:12 AM IST

Nine pilgrims from Uttar Pradesh were killed and eight injured in the explosion which took place at around 4.30am as passengers tried to make tea.

Chennai: The railways on Sunday began a statutory inquiry into the fire at a chartered train coach at Madurai railway junction in Tamil Nadu, in which nine people were killed on Saturday, a senior official said.

Police personnel stand guard at the site of train fire accident where forensic experts are conducting an investigation for the second day, in Madurai, Sunday, Aug 27, 2023. Nine people were killed and several others injured in the incident. (PTI)
Police personnel stand guard at the site of train fire accident where forensic experts are conducting an investigation for the second day, in Madurai, Sunday, Aug 27, 2023. Nine people were killed and several others injured in the incident. (PTI)

The inquiry into the incident that occurred after an “illegally smuggled gas cylinder” exploded inside the coach would take at least one month to complete, the official added.

“I have begun a statutory inquiry into the incident and recorded the statements of passengers to know how the fire started and how it spread. The inquiry will continue,” A M Chowdhary, commissioner of Railway Safety, Southern Circle, told reporters.

It would take at least one month to complete the inquiry and submit the report to the authorities, he added.

Nine pilgrims from Uttar Pradesh were killed and eight injured in the explosion which took place at around 4.30am as passengers tried to make tea. A Southern Railway official said 63 people – 55 passengers and eight helpers – were aboard the coach, which was booked by a “private party” and left Lucknow on August 17. The passengers were on a pilgrimage in Rameswaram, a coastal town in Tamil Nadu’s southeastern corner.

Chowdhary ruled out any conspiracy angle in the incident. “Presently, I don’t see any conspiracy,” he said.

A senior railway police officer said police have zeroed in on a few passengers who brought inflammable items on the train. “We are finding out the role of each person in the accident,” the officer, who did not wish to be named, said.

On Saturday, additional director general of the railway police, V Vanitha, said the organiser of the tour would be booked for negligence, after officials found firewood and coal inside the coach. “The fire erupted after the passengers lit the stove. There was firewood and coal inside the coach,” Vanitha said.

The Indian Railways allows passengers to book “private coaches” on trains, at varying costs, depending on the length and duration of the journey. Such a coach is then attached to various trains that help it traverse the length of its journey.

In this case, the private train was last attached to the Punalur-Madras Express on Friday, reached Madurai early on Saturday and was then scheduled to be linked on Sunday to the Ananthapuri Express, which would take it to the Chennai Egmore station. Afterwards, it would travel to the Chennai Central station, from where it would be attached to the Lucknow Express, on which it was scheduled to return to Lucknow on August 29.

Among the deceased was Harish Kumar Bhasin (60), who ran Bhasin Tour and Travels agency in Sitapur and made the bookings for the trip through the Indian Railway Catering and Tourism Corporation (IRCTC) website, officials said.

No other trains were damaged, nor were operations hindered, since the blaze broke out when the private coach was parked in the Madurai railway junction bay, away from other vehicles, the officials added.

Meanwhile, the bodies of the nine pilgrims arrived in Lucknow from Chennai on Sunday and were sent to respective districts.

Uttar Pradesh deputy chief minister Brajesh Pathak expressed condolence over the deaths and said: “The state government is providing all possible assistance to the families.”

The state government released 3 lakh each to the kin of four deceased people on Saturday and the details of legal heirs are being verified for giving financial aid to the remaining five, officials said.

Tamil Nadu chief minister MK Stalin has announced cash relief of 3 lakh each to the families of the victims.

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