Shan-e-Punjab catches fire, major mishap averted

A major accident was averted when a fire broke out in a train near the Ludhiana’s Chawa Pail station. Shan-e-Punjab Express, travelling from Amritsar to Delhi, caught fire when it reached near the station. The fire started in train’s wheels and spread to a coach.

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One of the passengers, who was travelling in the train, said the incident occurred around 6 pm when after noticing fire in the last coach, someone pulled the chain and alerted train staff. They swung into action and doused the flames before it could spread to other coaches.

Acting swiftly, the staff separated the burning coach from the rest of the train, preventing a potentially disastrous outcome. Railway teams rushed to the scene and began investigating the cause behind the fire. The train was taken back to the Payal railway station where it was stranded for over 60 minutes on the main line and then it left for Delhi. The rail traffic also got affected to some extent due to the mishap.

Panic gripped passengers on board after the fire broke out in the train. However, no person suffered any injury in the incident. Though the cause of the fire remains unknown, it is clear that a major tragedy was narrowly averted. Railway officials were conducting a thorough probe into the incident.

Sources said a short-circuit was being suspected the cause of the fire.