RailEnquiry

JHANSI: Passengers on board the Gwalior - Barauni Chhapra Express train had a narrow escape when three coaches caught fire as the train was passing through Moth area of Jhansi district in Uttar Pradesh late Monday evening. Since the train was moving at a slow speed, passengers managed to jump off the coaches safely. Their baggage was, however, reduced to ashes in the incident.Railway authorities said thick clouds of smoke were seen emanating from one of the coaches when the train was rolling past the Moth area of Jhansi. The driver immediately brought the train to a halt and railway staff on the train helped passengers of the coach get off.Passengers vacated the coach in a hurry to save their lives leaving their baggage behind. But, by the time they could retrieve their belongings, the entire coach was wrapped in flames. As a result, passengers helped fellow travelers of the two coaches on either side of the bogie from which the fire erupted to evacuate. By the time the railway staff could detach the burning coaches from the rest of the train, as many as three coaches -listed as S-8, S-9 and S-10-were reduced to a mangled mess of charred steel frames.There was no word from railways about the possible cause of fire. Authorities, however, were quick to rule out possibilities of any of the passengers being injured in the mishap, when report last came in around mid-night on Monday. Further details were awaited.