Fire Engulfs Two AC Coaches of Tatanagar–Ernakulam Express in Andhra, One Dead

An early-morning fire from overheated brakes gutted two AC coaches near Duvvada, killing a 70-year-old and delaying the train four hours.

In the early hours of Monday, a fire broke out in two air conditioned bogies of the Tata Nagar Ernakulam Express (Train No. 18189) at Duvvada in Andhra Pradesh's Anakapalli district resulting in the death of a 70 year old man and the escape of several other passengers, according to the police.

Preliminary reports state that the train, the Tatanagar Ernakulam Express which was passing over the Visakhapatnam district on its way from Tatanagar to Ernakulam caught fire about 1:30 am after passing through Duvvada. The B1 and M2 AC coaches which are next to the pantry car are said to have caught fire in the Tatanagar Ernakulam Express fire accident.

According to a railway policeman, the train was immediately stopped at the station after the loco pilots saw the event near a railway point near Yelamanchili. But the fire spread quickly before firefighters could get there completely consuming and destroying the two AC coaches. Passengers, many of whom were unaware of what was going on panicked and hurried out onto the platforms as dense smoke filled the carriages. Confusion and anxiety were exacerbated based on eyewitnesses by poor vision caused by heavy smoke.

Travelers and authorities both are relieved that all passengers are safe according to railway officials. They did, however disclose that the event resulted in the death of one passenger. The dead was identified as 70 year old Vijayawada resident Chandrasekhar Sundar, who died from burns after becoming stuck in the B1 AC coach.

Teams of firefighters from Anakapalli, Elamanchili and Nakkapalli raced to the scene and spent many hours trying to contain the fire. All of the passenger items in the two stuck coaches were totally destroyed in spite of their best efforts. To assess the situation on the ground senior railway officials arrived at the station. Ambulances were stationed at the location as a precaution. Hundreds of travelers were made to wait at the station for many hours during the cold night.