PATNA: A fire broke out in the engine and an adjoining coach of a passenger train at Simri Bakhtiyarpur railway station in Bihar’s Saharsa district in the early hours of Monday. No casualties have been reported as passengers were safely evacuated following the incident.The fire broke out in passenger train No. 63344 (Samastipur-Saharsa) around 3 am, triggering panic among passengers at the station. Flames and thick smoke were seen coming out of the train, following which railway officials and emergency teams rushed to the spot.Passengers were evacuated from the affected coach and the situation was brought under control. Railway authorities said that no injuries or loss of life have been reported so far. “At 3:40am, a fire broke out on the train. Passengers are facing a very distressing situation because of this. All the passengers have been stranded and inconvenienced for two hours now, ” a passenger said. “We received information that a railway engine had caught fire. Upon receiving the alert, we deployed a foam tender and a water tender from the Saharsa fire station to the scene and are currently working on the situation. The fire is currently under control. We have no information regarding any loss of life so far, ” assistant fire officer Niranjan Kumar told ANI.The exact cause of the fire is yet to be ascertained and an investigation has been initiated to determine the reason behind the incident.Officials are assessing the damage caused to the engine and the coach, while further details are awaited. The railway administration is also examining the circumstances that led to the fire and steps are being taken to ensure the safe movement of trains in the area.(With agency inputs)
