VISAKHAPATNAM: One passenger was killed after a fire broke out in two coaches of the Tatanagar–Ernakulam Express near Elamanchili in Anakapalle district in the early hours of Monday.
Anakapalle Superintendent of Police Tuhin Sinha said the police received information about the incident at around 12.45 a.m. He stated that there were 82 passengers in one of the affected coaches and 76 in the other at the time of the fire. “Unfortunately, a dead body was found in the B1 AC coach,” he stated.
The deceased has been identified as Chandrasekhar Sundar, a resident of Vijayawada. According to the police, the fire broke out in the B1 AC coach near Elamanchili railway station around midnight. As the flames spread quickly, passengers in the coach panicked and attempted to escape. Chandrasekhar Sundar was reportedly trapped inside the coach and could not be rescued in time, leading to his death.
More than 150 passengers were travelling in the two AC coaches. Railway officials immediately halted the train and evacuated the passengers to safety. Fire service personnel rushed to the spot and brought the fire under control.
Train services on the route were disrupted for some time following the incident. Railway authorities arranged buses to transport the affected passengers to Ernakulam.
Police said an investigation is underway to determine the cause of the fire.
Waltair Division officials stated that the train services at Elamanchili (YLM) are currently being regulated under the Waltair Division due to a stoppage at the station.
The Puri–Tirupati Express (17479) arrived at Visakhapatnam at 3.50 a.m. and was controlled, departing later at 4.36 a.m. It was further regulated at Duvvada at 5.05 a.m. due to the stoppage at Elamanchili. The Shalimar–Chirala Express (18045) arrived at Visakhapatnam at 4.36 a.m. and was also controlled for the same reason.
The Visakhapatnam–Lingampalli Express (12805), scheduled to depart at 6.20 a.m., was controlled at Visakhapatnam platform number five. Similarly, the Visakhapatnam–Guntur Express (17240), scheduled to depart at 7.10 a.m., was regulated at Visakhapatnam.
Waltair Division officials said that other train services are running normally and that all regulated services are expected to resume shortly.