Fire breaks out in Taj Express at Sarita Vihar in New Delhi, no casualties

New Delhi, June 3

Three coaches of the Jhansi-bound Taj Express train caught fire in southeast Delhi’s Sarita Vihar on Monday. No one was injured in the incident as passengers managed to get out of the coaches on fire in time, officials said.

The cause of the fire was not known immediately. The train had started from New Delhi Railway Station at 3 pm and caught fire between Okhla and Tughlakabad railway station, police said.

“We received a call at 4.24 pm regarding the fire in three coaches of the Taj Express train. Eight fire tenders were pressed into service and the fire was put out by 5.43 pm,” a Delhi Fire Services (DFS) official said.

Coaches D3 and D4 were gutted in the fire, while D2 was partially damaged, the police said, adding they were general chair car coaches.

Huge flames leapt out from the carriages and black smoke billowed as firefighters tried to douse the blaze. Earlier, DFS officials had said that four coaches had caught fire.Police said their control room received a call about the fire at around 4.40 pm.

“After receiving the call, police personnel rushed to the spot near Apollo Hospital,” a senior police officer said. No one was injured in the incident as the passengers quickly moved to other coaches and deboarded the train, he said.

Police said further action in the matter is being taken by the railways.

“The train was running about 10 hours late and had started from New Delhi Railway Station at 3 pm. The train runs from New Delhi Railway Station to Jhansi,” a police officer said. The officer said the train caught fire between Okhla and Tuglakabad railway station.