A tragic fire inside two air-conditioned coaches of the Ernakulam Express at Yalamanchili railway station in Andhra Pradesh's Anakapalli district claimed the life of a 70-year-old passenger in the early hours of Monday. The victim, identified as Chandrasekhar Sundar, a cloth merchant from Vijayawada, was charred to death in the blaze that has prompted a high-level safety investigation.
Timely Alert Averts Major Catastrophe
The loco pilot of the train noticed flames erupting from the coaches and immediately brought the train to a halt at Yalamanchili station. This swift action is credited with preventing a far greater number of casualties. The fire is suspected to have originated in the linen storage area of the B1 coach, and not from electrical faults in panels or wiring. From there, it spread to the adjacent M2 coach.
A Fatal Decision to Protect Valuables
Police revealed that Chandrasekhar Sundar was travelling in berth number 12 of the B1 coach and was carrying a substantial amount of cash and gold. He reportedly called his wife when the fire broke out. Officials suspect he may have hesitated or refused to disembark in an attempt to safeguard his valuables, leading to his tragic death.
Anakapalli Superintendent of Police Tuhin Sinha confirmed that railway police later recovered Sundar's bag. The bag contained Rs 5.8 lakh in cash, a significant portion of which was partially burnt. Sundar was returning to Vijayawada after a business trip to sell cloth material in Visakhapatnam.
Mass Evacuation and Operational Chaos
The incident caused widespread panic among the over 2,000 passengers on the train. Railway staff and police executed a major evacuation, safely moving 82 passengers from one burning bogie and 76 from the other. The two affected coaches were detached from the rest of the train to contain the fire.
Passengers endured a nearly two-hour wait at the station before authorities could make alternative travel arrangements. The disruption rippled through the network, delaying several other train services. Three bogies in total were detached before the express was cleared to resume its journey.
Investigation and Statutory Inquiry Ordered
Forensic teams conducted a detailed examination of the charred coaches to pinpoint the exact cause of the fire. Meanwhile, the Commissioner of Railway Safety has announced a statutory inquiry into the accident. The inquiry will be held at the Electric Traction Training Centre in Vijayawada on December 31 and January 1.
Authorities have called for witnesses or anyone with information related to the fire to appear at the inquiry or submit written evidence to the Commissioner's office in Secunderabad. While the timely response of fire tenders controlled the blaze, this incident has again raised critical questions about fire safety protocols on Indian railways.
