GT Express catches fire Near Sindi in Wardha

Wardha: At least 10 passengers travelling in the compartment for divyangjan (physically challenged) on New Delhi-Chennai Grand Trunk (GT) Express (12616) had a miraculous escape on Tuesday morning after thick smoke and flames were spotted billowing from the last coach, which also houses guard's cabin and parcel rake, near Sindi (Railway) in Wardha district. Alarmed travellers pulled the emergency chain, bringing the train to a halt and averting what could have turned into a major tragedy. No casualties were reported.Smoke was first noticed in the last SLR parcel between Sindi (Railway) and Tuljapur stations on Nagpur-Sevagram route, around 11.45am. As soon as the train came to a halt after chain pulling, guard DR Meena inspected the rake and the burning coach was swiftly detached and moved to a safer distance to prevent the fire from spreading to the rest of the train.
Fire brigades from Sindi, Selu and Hinganghat rushed to the spot, with the Sindi team arriving first. The blaze was brought under control within about an hour with assistance from railway staff. All parcel goods in the coach were gutted, and several stored packages were severely damaged.PSI Yashwant Kadam from Dahegaon (Gosavi) police station reached the spot with his team. Police teams from Sindi and Selu also joined the rescue efforts. Passengers were evacuated safely.Superintendent of police Saurabh Kumar Agrawal and other senior railway and police officials visited the scene. Wardha district collector Vanmathi C said teams from the police, revenue and health departments, along with doctors and ambulances, were immediately dispatched after the train fire was reported near Helodi, a village nearly 4-5 km from Sindi (Railway) station. She confirmed there was no loss of life.SP Agrawal said, "Information about the fire in a railway coach near Sindi (Railway) station was received on Dial 112. Additional police teams, along with additional superintendent of police Sadashiv Waghmare were sent to the spot. Some passengers were evacuated."Central Railway officials said the train resumed its journey after the affected coach was removed. Services on the Nagpur-Sevagram section were briefly disrupted, but returned to normal around 1.30pm.Speaking to TOI, CR divisional railway manager Vinayak Garg said forensic experts have been called in and a committee of officers has been constituted to ascertain the cause of the incident. "The fire was detected at 11.30am, and the affected SLR coach was detached within 10 minutes at Sindi (Railway) station. By 12 noon, fire brigade had reached the spot. Experts from Wardha and Nagpur are examining the coach, which will now be moved to Ajni doe further investigation. The train had originated from Delhi, and Ballarshah was its first scheduled halt for delivering parcel. Prima facie, it appears to be an accident, not arson. A detailed report is expected in two to three days," he said.Central Railway's divisional commercial manager (DCM) Aman Mittal said smoke was first detected in the last SLR parcel-carrying coach of the train, which subsequently caught fire. "The affected coach was immediately detached, and the train continued on its scheduled route. No injuries were reported," he said.Mittal added that a state forensic team has reached the spot to investigate the cause of the fire. While the exact extent of the damage is still being assessed, he confirmed that several parcels stored in the coach were severely damaged.