Fire breaks out on train at Madurai station, 10 killed, 20 injured
Ten people were killed and over 20 were injured after a fire broke out in a tourist train parked on Bodi Lane near Madurai railway station in the wee hours of Saturday, reported news agency PTI. Bodies have been shifted to the Government Rajaji Hospital in Madurai and rescue operation is underway, according to the report.
The fire broke out when a passenger lit a gas stove to make coffee, police said. “Around 5:30 am today, there was fire in a coach halted here at Madurai railway station. There were pilgrims travelling from Uttar Pradesh in it. When they lit the gas stove to make coffee, the gas cylinder blasted. As of now, we have retrieved nine bodies,” PTI quoted Madurai District Collector MS Sangeetha as saying.
B.Guganesan, Chief Public Relations Officer, Southern Railway said in a statement that the passengers in the private party coach had illegally smuggled a gas cylinder which caused the fire. The official said that the coach was attached at Nagercoil Junction on Friday by Punalur -Madurai Express and was detached after arriving at Madurai.
“This is a private party coach that was attached at Nagercoil Junction yesterday (Aug 25) by train no. 16730 (Punalur-Madurai Exp). Party coach was detached and kept at Madurai Stabling line. The passengers in the private party coach have illegally smuggled gas cylinder and this has caused the fire. Many passengers had got out of the coach on noticing fire. Some passengers had got down at platform itself,” the release said.
Among the scattered items that lay on the accident spot included a cylinder and a bag of potatoes, indicating there were attempts to cook food.
What caused Madurai train fire that killed at least 10 tourists, injured many
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, Souther Railway said.
