Fire Breaks Out on Train in Tamil Nadu – Over 8 Passengers Dead, Around 20 Injured
Image Source: BNN Breaking
Early morning on August 26, 2023, around 5:15 am, a fire broke out in the Private Party coach of the train station in Madurai. The train journey had started from Lucknow and was scheduled to reach Chennai on August 27, 2023. The reason for the fire outbreak was the “smuggling” of a gas cylinder by a group of people to make tea and snacks. The use of the cylinder was made in the coach, which filled the coach with gas and resulted in a blast on the train.
Vijay Kumar, Deputy Director of the Fire and Rescue Services Department, received a call from the Railways around 5:45 a.m. The team faced difficulty reaching the coach as the train was parked in a peaked area surrounded by the fall. The fire was extinguished around 7:15 a.m. A total of 55 tourists along with 8 supporting staff were saved by the team. More than 20 people are admitted to Government Rajaji Hospital (GRH) and the railway hospital and are receiving treatment. 8 bodies have been identified so far – 3 women’s and 5 men’s bodies have been identified.
The CM of Tamil Nadu, M K Stalin, has expressed grief for the families who have lost their loved ones and has announced three lakh rupees for the families of the deceased, in addition to the ten lakh rupees already declared by the Railways. He has also asked the collector to ensure that injured persons receive the best treatment and care.
According to the prescribed guidelines released by the railways, carrying inflammable and explosive articles on trains is a punishable offense under sections 67 (carriage of dangerous or offensive goods), 154 (endangering the safety of persons traveling by railway by rash or negligent act or omission), 164 (unlawfully bringing dangerous goods on railways), and 165 (unlawfully bringing offensive goods on a railway) of The Railways Act 1989, with a punishment of up to three years in prison or a fine up to Rs 1,000 or both. Carrying gas cylinders, stoves or lanterns, firecrackers, kerosene, petrol, lighters, and other inflammable articles is strictly prohibited, and carrying them would create a highly unsafe situation.
-Varuni Gupta
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