Massive fire breaks out in Delhi-bound Rajdhani Express in Madhya Pradesh's Ratlam | Video
A fire broke out in the AC coach of the Thiruvananthapuram-Hazrat Nizamuddin Rajdhani Express (12431) near Alot station in the Ratlam district, which falls under the jurisdiction of the Kota Railway Division.
A massive fire broke out in the AC coach of Thiruvananthapuram-Hazrat Nizamuddin Rajdhani Express (12431) in Madhya Pradesh's Ratlam district on Sunday morning, prompting railway authorities to halt the train and evacuate all passengers from the affected coach. The incident took place around 5:30 am between the Luni Richha and Vikramgarh Alot stations within the Kota Division.
The fire was reported approximately 110 km from Ratlam. The fire originated in coach number B1, located towards the front of the train.
After the incident was reported, a relief and rescue team from the Kota Railway Division was rushed to the spot. Around 68 passengers were travelling in the affected coach. According to reports, the fire spread rapidly through the coach within seconds. The train guard first informed the loco pilot about the fire, following which the train was halted and passengers were evacuated.
Coach evacuated within 15 minutes
According to officials, RPF personnel and railway staff onboard immediately began deboarding passengers from the coach after the fire broke out. The entire coach was evacuated within nearly 15 minutes. All passengers travelling in the affected coach were safely evacuated, and no injuries or casualties among passengers or railway staff were reported.
"A fire was reported in B-1 coach (near SLR end) of Train No. 12431 Thiruvananthapuram–Hazrat Nizamuddin Rajdhani Express between Luni Richha (LNR) and Vikramgarh Alot (VMA) at Km 729/02 (Loco) & 728/14-16 (SLR) in Down direction. All passengers of the affected coach were safely deboarded. No injury or casualty to any passenger or railway staff," West Central Railway, Kota Division said.
Railway authorities further stated that the overhead electric (OHE) supply was immediately cut off and the affected B-1 coach was detached from the rake.
Senior officials and technical staff from the Kota division also reached the site soon after receiving information about the incident. Authorities are currently investigating the cause of the fire.
Meanwhile, Train No. 12955 was halted at Mahidpur Road station due to the incident. Railway authorities said the section would be cleared shortly and added that the exact cause of the fire is currently under investigation.
Several trains affected
Rail traffic on the Delhi-Mumbai railway route was temporarily halted, and the train's power supply was disconnected. Train No. 12955 was halted at Mahidpur Road (MEP), while efforts were underway to restore normal movement on the section. The exact cause of the fire is being investigated.
Several other trains were also halted. Here's the list of affected trains
- Train 19020 was stopped at Shamgarh.
- Train 12416 was stopped at Suwasra.
- Train 05017 was held at Nathu Khedi.
- Train 12472 Swaraj Express was stopped at Shamgarh.
- Train 22210 has been held at Chaumahla.
- Train 01492 Pune Special has been held at Modak station.
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