A fire affected four general coaches of the Amritsar-Jalpaiguri Karmabhoomi Express near Rajpura in Punjab on Friday afternoon, forcing passengers to evacuate and leaving at least 16 people with minor injuries, railway and hospital officials said.
The incident involved train 12508 and occurred shortly after it crossed Sadhugarh village at around 12.58pm. Smoke reportedly filled the coaches as the train travelled along the Sarai Banjara-Basantpura stretch, about 15km from Rajpura. No deaths were reported, while officials were compiling details of injuries.
Rajpura Civil Hospital received 15 passengers with minor burn injuries, bruises and breathlessness, according to its senior medical officer, Dr Sharanpreet Singh. Eight of those patients had minor burn injuries, but all were stable and expected to be discharged soon. Fatehgarh Sahib Hospital reported one passenger with minor bruises.
A short circuit in a coach fan was suspected to have caused the fire, Patiala Government Railway Police AIG Amarpreet Singh Ghumman said. Passengers also reported seeing a spark from a fan. The fire was initially reported in the first general coach behind the engine before spreading to the other adjoining coaches.
SHO Gurpreet Singh said four fire brigades were called to the site. He said the driver stopped the train after passengers raised the alarm, allowing people in the first coach to move into the next coach. As the general coaches were attached to one another, the fire subsequently affected the remaining coaches before the fire brigades reached the train.
The four affected coaches were detached from the train. Railway officials said the fourth coach did not suffer major damage, although its door was slightly damaged, and it was also removed from the rake. All passengers were asked to alight, and a relief train was arranged for those stranded after the incident.
Medical emergency teams from the Ambala Railway Division were sent to the site. Divisional Railway Manager Vinod Kumar Bhatia reached the location to oversee rescue work and track-clearing operations. Passenger Maninder Mohan, 56, told officials that he broke an emergency window pane and jumped out after smoke engulfed the coach. He sustained minor injuries and was later discharged from Fatehgarh Sahib Hospital.
