Express Train at Visakhapatnam Station Catches Fire, Resulting in Damage to Three Coaches

Visakhapatnam:

Three air-conditioned carriages of an unoccupied stationary express train were destroyed in a fire mishap at Visakhapatnam Railway Station on Sunday, authorities said. There were no injuries in the Korba-Visakhapatnam Express (18517) as all the travelers had exited the train by the time the fire was noticed.

The locomotive had arrived on platform number four from Chhattisgarh’s Korba in the morning and was scheduled to depart for Tirupati later.

A railway official mentioned that the Korba Express arrived at 6.30 a.m. and had to go for maintenance to the coaching depot. The train was locked and power was turned off, he stated.

Railway Protection Force personnel observed smoke in the B7 carriage around 9.20 a.m. and notified the authorities and fire services. “By that time all travelers had disembarked from the train after its arrival,” said the official.

According to the railway authorities, the fire quickly spread to neighboring carriages. The B7 carriage was completely destroyed while B6 and M1 carriages were partially damaged. Four fire trucks hurried to the scene and extinguished the fire.

Joint Commissioner of Police Fakirappa stated there were no injuries in the mishap. He mentioned railway authorities were conducting an inquiry into the cause of the fire.

Except for the damaged carriages, the railway staff transferred the train to the depot for maintenance.

Visakhapatnam Police Commissioner Shankabratha Bagchi paid a visit to the railway station. He informed the media that since the carriages contained flammable material, it took some time for the firefighting personnel to completely extinguish the fire.

The train was supposed to depart for Tirupati later in the day after maintenance at the depot.

Andhra Pradesh Home Minister Vangalapudi Anita contacted the Divisional Railway Manager by phone and inquired about the fire mishap.