Rourkela: A major disaster was averted after the New Delhi-Bhubaneswar Rajdhani Express caught fire Monday afternoon near Tilkanagar, a few kilometers before reaching the Rourkela station. Railway officials rushed to the spot and brought the situation under control. While all passengers were safely evacuated, loss of life or property is yet to be ascertained.
Reportedly, a short circuit in one of the compartments led to the fire. An alarm was raised as soon as passengers noticed smoke emanating from near one of the bathrooms inside three-tier AC coach B-7. The entire coach was engulfed with smoke and the emergency windows had to be broken for passengers to breathe properly. The train had left New Delhi for Bhubaneswar at 5:05pm, Sunday.
“The smoke started to emanate near the bathroom. After we informed the railway authorities, they came and extinguished the fire. They said that the fire broke out because of a short-circuit,” a passenger said.
Some claimed that panic gripped the passengers after thick smoke was seen inside the bogie with the rumour that a bomb had exploded inside the train.
PNN