LUCKNOW/PATNA: Barely nine hours after a blaze in four coaches of Delhi-Darbhanga Humsafar Express at Etawah in UP left eight passengers injured, a similar incident was reported in another Bihar-bound train near Etawah junction around 2.10am on Thursday.
At least 19 passengers of the Delhi-Saharsa Vaishali Express suffered minor burns and complained of suffocation, and were taken to nearby hospitals."All 19 passengers are safe.They complained of uneasiness and difficulty in breathing due to heavy smoke, but now they are fine," said Udai Pratap Singh, CO of Government Railway Police (GRP), Etawah.Fire in coach of New Delhi-Darbhanga Express near Uttar Pradeshs EtawahThe back-to-back incidents of fire in Bihar-bound trains, packed with passengers travelling home for Chhath festival, have sparked concerns, with railway authorities fearing that people could be carrying inflammable materials or lighting up inside the coaches.East Central Railway's chief public relations officer Birendra Kumar said a strict warning had been issued to all major stations to check the coaches thoroughly before departure.
In addition, RPF personnel had been asked to take stern action against those caught smoking inside the coaches, he added.GRP Agra division SP Aditya Langeh said prima facie it appeared that a short circuit had caused the fire in the S6 coach of Vaishali Express.
"However, investigation is on to find out whether inflammable items or smoking were to blame," he said.Passengers immediately informed the railway authorities when they noticed thick smoke billowing out of the coach, which was next to the pantry car, a source said.A few minutes earlier, the power transmission in the overhead electric cable had been cut off after some object was found hanging from the train roof.
"It is not immediately clear if this had anything to do with the smoke," said the source.The fire brigade arrived around 2.40am, officials said.
The train resumed its journey, minus the injured passengers, around 6.14 am.Manish Kumar Thakur, travelling to Siwan in Bihar, said: "The entire coach was engulfed by smoke and it took a while to open the exit doors.
There was panic in the jampacked coach.
Fortunately, the train was stationary and passengers immediately alighted."WatchFire in coach of New Delhi-Darbhanga Express near Uttar Pradeshs Etawah