At least 47 passengers were killed and 22 injured when a massive fire broke out in the New Delhi-Chennai Tamil Nadu Express in Nellore city of Andhra Pradesh in wee hours of Monday.
Nellore District Collector B Sridhar, who led the rescue and relief operation, said that the S 11 coach of the train was completely gutted in the fire, which broke out at around 4:20 am.
“The fire was first spotted by the gateman as the train was leaving Nellore for Chennai and he immediately alerted the station manager of Nellore. He brought the train to a halt,” Sridhar said.
He said an electrical short circuit could have led to the fire, and that most of the passengers were asleep when the incident happened.
The affected coach was completely gutted and rescue teams had to break in using special equipment.
Train accidents in India have killed 1,220 people over the past five years, railway officials recently revealed.
Accidents are common on the state-owned Indian railways, an immense network connecting every corner of the country.
Helpline numbers: Nellore: 0861-2345863, 2576924. Chennai: 044-25330825, New Delhi: 011-23341072
–Agencies