Two train coaches of Tata-Ernakulam Express catches fire in Andhra, had 158 Passengers, 1 killed

According to preliminary information, the train, which was travelling from Tatanagar to Ernakulam via Visakhapatnam district, caught fire in the B1 and M2 AC coaches, located adjacent to the pantry car.

One person died after two coaches of the Tatanagar–Ernakulam Express caught fire near Yalamanchili, about 66 kilometres from the city, a senior police officer said on Monday. Reportedly, the police received information about the fire at around 12:45 am. The officer said that one of the affected coaches had 82 passengers, while the other had 76 passengers at the time of the incident. “Sadly, a body was found in the B1 coach,” he said.

According to preliminary information, the train, which was travelling from Tatanagar to Ernakulam via Visakhapatnam district, caught fire in the B1 and M2 AC coaches, located adjacent to the pantry car.

A railway police officer said the fire was first spotted by the loco pilots near a railway point close to Yelamanchili. After noticing the flames, the train was immediately stopped at the station.

However, before fire service teams could reach the spot, the fire spread very quickly. Within a short time, both air-conditioned coaches were completely covered by flames and were badly damaged.

 The deceased was identified as Chandrasekhar Sundar (70), a resident of Vijayawada, who was reportedly trapped in the B1 AC coach and died due to burns.

After the fire, the two damaged coaches were separated from the train. The train then continued its journey towards Ernakulam. Arrangements are being made to send the passengers from the affected coaches to their destinations.

Police said two forensic teams are investigating the incident to find out the exact cause of the fire.