Dehradun: Nine passengers died and over ten were injured after a sleeper coach of the Bandra-Dehradun Express caught fire early Wednesday. The fire reportedly broke in one of the sleeper coaches and then spread to three boogies of the train (S3, S4 and S5) around 2.30 am. The incident happened between Gholwad and Dahanu Road station in Maharashtra’s Thane district. The injured were rushed to the local hospital. Railway authorities said.
The fire was brought under control within an hour and after the cooling operations were completed, the affected coaches were decoupled and the train commenced its onward journey. The exact cause of the fire is yet to be ascertained but preliminary reports indicate that a short circuit might be the cause of fire.
Medical relief trains reached the spot from Valsad and Mumbai immediately after we learnt about the incident. The injured are being treated at local hospitals,” Western Railway spokesperson said the news channel. Railway Minister Mallikarjun Kharge has ordered a probe into the incident and announced an ex-gratia of Rs five lakh each to the next of kin of those killed.
Western Railways have set up helpline numbers — 022-23011853 and 022-230073885 — to those seeking information on the train and passengers. The other helpline numbers are – 022-67649632 – Dahanu Road; 022-26435756 – Bandra Terminus; 0261-2423992 – Surat; 011-23342954 & 1072 – New Delhi and 0135 2624002, 2624003 – Dehradun.
Bureau Report
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