A fire broke out in two coaches of the Tatanagar–Ernakulam Express in the early hours of Monday near Yalamanchili in Andhra Pradesh, leaving one passenger dead and causing major disruption to train services on the Visakhapatnam–Vijayawada route.
The incident occurred around 66 km from Visakhapatnam. According to a senior police official, information about the fire was received at around 12.45 am. Flames were reported in the B1 and M2 AC coaches, located adjacent to the pantry car.
At the time of the incident, one affected coach had 82 passengers while the other had 76. Loco pilots noticed the fire and immediately brought the train to a halt. As thick smoke engulfed the area, passengers rushed out of the coaches, triggering panic.
Before fire tenders could reach the spot, both coaches were completely gutted. Firefighters from nearby stations later brought the blaze under control. Ambulances were arranged and senior railway officials reviewed the situation at the site.
Police later recovered a body from the B1 coach. The deceased was identified as 70-year-old Chandrasekhar Sundar, a resident of Vijayawada. All belongings inside the affected coaches were destroyed in the fire.
Train operations were severely impacted, with nearly 2,000 passengers stranded at the station. Several trains on the Visakhapatnam–Vijayawada section were either delayed or halted following the incident. After the burnt coaches were removed, passengers were accommodated in other coaches and the train later resumed its journey.
A railway spokesperson said the train was stopped immediately after the fire was detected and all passengers were safely evacuated.
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