A fire broke out in the front coach of Kalka-Howrah train on Tuesday however no casualty is reported.
The blaze erupted in a seating cum luggage coach in the early hours between Dhirpur to Dhoda Khedia railway stations near Kurukshetra in Haryana.
The train which had started from Kalka in Haryana in the early morning was headed to Howrah.
Smoke had filled the SLR bogie (Seating cum Luggage Rake), which is next to the engine. After this, the train was brought to a halt and all the passengers were safely evacuated when smoke was noticed.
Three women and two children, who complained of difficulty in breathing as they had inhaled smoke, were provided medical attention.
Vijay Pal, an official of Railway Department said that no casualties have occurred in this accident.
Those affected from smoke due to fire are being treated and the district administration is lending support in it, Pal said.
The train has been dispatched except for one bogie that caught fire. This train was going from Kalka to Howrah, he said.
As per preliminary details, an electrical short circuit was believed to be the reason behind the fire.
After the incident, the train was held up for more than two hours before the affected bogie was detached and placed about 50 to 60 metres away. Rail traffic on the route was also affected
“The District Administration, Kurukshetra immediately swung into action, after getting the information about a bogie of Kalka-Howrah train, catching fire,” said Deputy Commissioner, Kurukshetra, SS Phulia.
A fire engine and four ambulances were sent to the spot and I also visited there to inspect the spot. The injured were taken to Aggarwal Hospital in Kurukshetra, he said.
He said that the district administration is fully alert and the affected people are being given treatment. Not only this, post-treatment arrangements are being made by Railways and the district administration for their safe return to their home, he added.