A significant fire erupted in a stationary train compartment at the Madurai railway station early this morning, resulting in the unfortunate demise of at least 10 individuals and leaving over 20 others injured. The Southern Railway authorities have indicated that the fire was caused by an “unauthorized gas cylinder” present onboard. The affected passengers were travelling in a “private party coach” and had journeyed from Lucknow, Uttar Pradesh.
Arriving swiftly at the location, Madurai’s district collector, MS Sangeetha, was on hand to gather relevant details. She verified that the fire incident within the train compartment resulted in the unfortunate demise of 10 individuals. Furthermore, approximately 20 individuals who sustained injuries have been admitted to a medical facility to undergo necessary treatment.
A statement from Southern Railway indicated that “10 individuals have been reported as deceased” as a result of the fire.
The collaborative efforts of the police, fire and rescue services personnel, along with railway staff, were dedicated to extinguishing the fire and carefully recovering the bodies, which were severely charred, from the compartment.
At 5:15 a.m. today, a fire erupted, and the fire service personnel arrived at the scene around thirty minutes later, successfully extinguishing the blaze by 7:15 a.m., as outlined in a communication by Southern Railway.
The statement further explained, “This pertains to a privately-owned coach that was coupled with train no. 16730 (Punalur-Madurai Express) at Nagercoil Junction on August 25. Subsequently, the party coach was uncoupled and positioned at the Madurai Stabling line. The individuals in the private party coach illicitly introduced a gas cylinder, which tragically led to the ignition of the fire.”
The party coach embarked on its journey from Lucknow on August 17 with plans to conclude the trip in Chennai on Sunday before heading back to Lucknow, according to the statement.
“While the coach was stationary, a group of individuals within the private party coach engaged in unauthorized use of an illegally obtained cooking gas cylinder to prepare tea/snacks. Unfortunately, this recklessness resulted in the ignition of the fire within the parked coach. A majority of the passengers promptly evacuated the coach upon detecting the fire. Furthermore, some passengers had already disembarked on the platform prior to the coach’s detachment,” the statement elaborated.
A sum of ₹10 lakh was designated to be provided to the families of each deceased individual, as stated.
Southern Railway also introduced two helpline numbers, 9360552608 and 8015681915, for inquiries concerning the fire event and casualties.
Check the tweet from Southern Railways https://twitter.com/GMSRailway/status/1695284518822039738?s=20
Any person has the option to reserve a party coach through the IRCTC portal. It’s important to note that the transportation of any flammable substances, such as gas cylinders, is strictly prohibited. The usage of the coach is exclusively intended for transportation purposes, according to the communication outlined. Furthermore, senior officials were swiftly making their way to the location.