A fire broke out in a coach of the Amritsar-Saharsa Garib Rath Express on Saturday morning near Sirhind railway station, officials said. As per the reports, the reasons behind the incident remain oblivion. However, the probe is underway.
In an official statement, the railways said, “Fire was noticed in a coach of train number 12204 (Amritsar–Saharsa) at Sirhind station in Punjab this morning. As soon as the incident was noticed, railway authorities immediately shifted passengers to other coaches, and the fire was extinguished quickly. The train will depart for its destination shortly. No casualties were reported. Time of incident: 7:30 AM.”
“Those from coach 19 ran towards other compartments before jumping off the train,” said one of the passengers, the Hindustan Times reported.
A Government Railway Police officer said, and NDTV reported, that the smoke was first noticed in one of the AC coaches of the train, and a passenger pulled a chain to stop the train; hence, the passengers were safely evacuated from the coach.
The fire further enveloped the coach (G-19), and two other coaches were also impacted, facing minor damage. These coaches were separated from the rest of the train, and fire tenders were immediately called in.
The NDTV also reports that a 32-year-old woman sustained injuries and was further taken to the Civil Hospital in Fatehgarh Sahib, and another passenger was shifted from the affected coach to other coaches.
