Fire breaks out in Delhi-Saharsa Vaishali Express near Etawah, 19 injured

A fire broke out in a coach of the Delhi-Saharsa Vaishali Superfast Express in the wee hours of Thursday, the second such incident within a span of 10 hours near Etawah in Uttar Pradesh. The fire occurred around 2am in the S-6 coach, leaving 19 passengers injured, of which 11 suffered serious burn injuries.

The train, 12554, was en route from New Delhi to Saharsa in Bihar when the incident occurred. Upon reaching Etawah around 2.12am, passengers observed smoke from the S-6 coach, and promptly alerted authorities. The train was halted ahead of Mainpuri junction.

Despite efforts from the Government Railway Police (GRP) and Railway Protection Force (RPF), it took an hour to control the blaze. After extinguishing the fire, the affected coach was detached, and the train resumed its journey at 6am.

According to local authorities, 11 of the injured passengers have been rushed to Saifai Medical University for further treatment.

The cause of the fire is yet to be determined.

Aditya Langeh, SP, GRP Agra said: “No fatalities have been reported. The injured passengers are receiving medical care. A detailed inquiry will provide insights into the circumstances leading to this unfortunate event.”

The first incident involved the New Delhi-Darbhanga Special Express train in which eight passengers were injured and four coaches were destroyed.