Tatanagar Ernakulam Express Fire Update: A major rail accident occurred in Andhra Pradesh early on Monday, when a massive fire suddenly broke out in two AC coaches of the Tatanagar-Ernakulam Express. In this tragic incident, one passenger died, while the lives of hundreds of passengers narrowly escaped. The incident took place in Yelamanchili area of ​​Andhra Pradesh, which is about 66 kilometers from Visakhapatnam. According to police, the fire was reported around 12:45 am. The fire broke out in the B1 and M2 AC coaches of the train, which were located right near the pantry car. Within no time the fire took a huge form and thick smoke spread in the coaches.

More than 150 passengers were trapped in the coach

There were 82 passengers in B1 coach and 76 passengers in M2 coach at the time of the fire. As soon as the loco pilots saw the flames, the train was immediately stopped. Seeing the smoke and fire, passengers started running out of the coach to save their lives, leading to a stampede-like situation on the spot.

The coach burnt to ashes before the fire brigade could reach it.

According to eyewitnesses, both the AC coaches were completely burnt to ashes even before the fire brigades arrived. Later, the fire team that arrived from the nearby fire station brought the fire under control. An ambulance was arranged on the spot. Railway and police officials took stock of the situation. A railway spokesperson said that as soon as the fire was detected, the train was immediately stopped and all the passengers were evacuated safely. The cause of the fire is being investigated.

Confirmation of death of one passenger

Police said that a body was recovered from inside the B1 coach. The deceased has been identified as Chandrashekhar Sundar of Vijayawada, who was 70 years old. All the belongings of the passengers present in both the coaches that were caught in the fire were burnt and destroyed. This accident also affected railway operations. About 2,000 passengers remained stranded at the station. Many trains on the Visakhapatnam-Vijayawada route were delayed or stopped midway. Later the burnt coaches were removed, the passengers were shifted to other coaches and the train was sent on its onward journey.