- A fire broke out in B-1 coach of Delhi-bound Rajdhani Express near Rajasthan's Kota
- 68 passengers onboard the affected air-conditioned coach were rescued safely
- The coach was detached and overhead electric supply was switched off for safety
A massive fire broke out in one of the air-conditioned coaches of a Delhi-bound Rajdhani Express in Rajasthan's Kota this morning, with officials saying that no one was injured in the incident.
The fire broke out around 5:15 am in the B-1 coach carrying 68 passengers near the Vikramgarh Alot railway station in Kota.
The affected coach was detached from the rake, and the overhead electric supply (OHE) was promptly switched off to ensure safety, officials said.
A video showed thick, dense plumes of black smoke billowing high into the air from the detached rake. The fire also spread to some trees near the railway tracks.
All the passengers were safely deboarded from the train, and arrangements have been made to accommodate them in other coaches for the journey up to Kota, the railways said.
An additional coach will be attached at Kota station to restore full capacity.
The cause of the fire is under investigation, the railways said.
The train, 12431 Rajdhani Express, departed Kerala's Thiruvananthapuram on Friday and was scheduled to reach Delhi's Hazrat Nizamuddin railway station at 12:30 pm today. The train had covered about 2,600 kilometres and was about 450 kilometres from the national capital when the fire broke out.
On Friday, a fire was noticed in an empty coach of the Hyderabad-Jaipur Special Train at the railway station in Hyderabad as it was being brought to a platform for departure.
No passengers were inside the train, and no injuries were reported.
The fire was brought under control immediately, and the affected coaches were detached, the Secunderabad-headquartered South Central Railway said.
(With inputs from Shakir Ali)
