Daijiworld Media Network - Anakapalli

Anakapalli, Dec 29: One passenger lost his life 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 at around 1 am near Elamanchili railway station when the loco pilot noticed flames in one of the coaches and immediately halted the train. While most passengers were evacuated in time, a body was later recovered from one of the charred coaches.

According to officials, the fire originated in the B1 coach and later 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 to catch fire, the M1 and B2 coaches were also severely damaged and were later found to be completely gutted.

An official said that 82 passengers were travelling 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 deceased has been identified as Chandrasekhar Sundaram.

The train was on its journey from Tatanagar to Ernakulam when the fire was detected. Railway authorities confirmed that all other passengers are safe.

An investigation has been launched to ascertain the exact cause of the fire.