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What caused Madurai train fire that killed at least 10 tourists, injured many
The "private party coach" with 65 passengers had arrived from Lucknow in Uttar Pradesh.
At least 10 people were killed and many injured after a blaze engulfed a stationary train compartment near Madurai railway station on Saturday, according to news agency PTI. The fire broke out at 5.15am in a "private party coach" with 65 passengers who had arrived from Lucknow in Uttar Pradesh, a Southern Railway release said.
The party coach had started the journey from Lucknow on August 17, scheduled to return to Chennai on Sunday and return to Lucknow from there, it added. The coach was detached from the train and was kept at Madurai Stabling Line when the deadly incident occurred.
What caused the fire?
Madurai District Collector MS Sangeetha said that the fire broke out in the train coach when one of the passengers lit a gas stove to make coffee. B.Guganesan, Chief Public Relations Officer, Southern Railway said in a statement that the passengers had illegally smuggled a gas cylinder which caused the fire. The passengers are not allowed to carry any inflammable material like gas cylinders.
"While the coach was stabled/parked, some members of the party in the private party coach were using the illegally smuggled cooking gas cylinder unauthorisedly for preparing tea/snacks, which caused the fire in the stabled/parked coach. Most of the passengers could get out of the coach on noticing fire. Some passengers had already got down at platform also before detachment of coach," the release said.
Carrying inflammable articles like gas cylinders, crackers, acid, kerosene, petrol, thermic welding, and stove and explosives is a punishable offence under sections 67,164 and 165 of the Railways Act of 1989.
The tourists of the private party coach had also given a declaration as per para 9 of the Railway Manual that they would not carry any inflammable material during their journey, the Southern Railway said.
Chandra Mohan Mishra, senior divisional security commissioner, RPF Lucknow division of NER said, “We have scanned the CCTV footage of August 17 of Lucknow junction from where the coach departed with 63 passengers, and we haven’t spotted any inflammable item such as gas cylinder. Our team regularly inspect trains for suspicious items. Probe is on to find as from where the cylinder came inside the coach.”
Mahesh Gupta, the public relation officer of Lucknow division NER said, “The passengers of party coach have given declaration in writing to railways, that they were not carrying any inflammable material. Carrying inflammable material in train is a punishable offence.”
(With Bureau inputs)
