One passenger was killed after a fire broke out in two coaches of the Tatanagar–Ernakulam Express in Andhra Pradesh’s Anakapalli district in the early hours of Monday, railway officials said.

The incident occurred around 1 am near Elamanchili railway station when the loco pilot noticed flames in one of the coaches and immediately brought the train to a halt. While most passengers were swiftly evacuated, a body was later recovered from a charred coach

Officials said the fire originated in the B1 coach and spread to the adjacent M1 and B2 coaches. The affected coaches were promptly detached from the rest of the train, preventing the blaze from spreading further. While B1 was the first coach to catch fire, the M1 and B2 coaches were also severely damaged and were later found to be completely gutted.

An official said there were 82 passengers in one of the affected coaches and 76 in another at the time of the incident. “Unfortunately, a dead body was found in the B1 coach,” the official said. The victim was identified as Chandrasekhar Sundaram.

The train was travelling from Tatanagar to Ernakulam when the fire was detected. Amid scenes of fear and confusion, Railway officials confirmed that all other passengers are safe.

The authorities have launched an investigation to ascertain the cause of the fire.

Source: India Today