At least 9 passengers, including a woman,
were burned alive when a fire engulfed the speeding Mumbai-Dehradun Express
near Dahanu town in Maharashtra's Thane district on early Wednesday, officials
said.
The fire is believed to have erupted in one
bogie and quickly spread to two other bogies, catching the passengers in their
sleep around 2.30 am on Wednesday, a Western Railway official spokesperson
said.
'The fire was noticed on the speeding train
by a level-crossing gateman who alerted the guard. The guard informed the
driver and the train was stopped. The gateman did a commendable job and averted
a major disaster,' the spokesperson said.
According to preliminary information, the
fire broke out in S-3 coach and quickly spread to the other adjoining coaches
as the train hurtled to its destination.
Two of the victims identified are Dipika Shah
of Ghatkopar and Devshankar Upadhyay of Borivli, while the identities of the
others are being ascertained.
The fire was brought under control shortly
after the train was brought to a halt at Gholwad station, around 145km north of
Mumbai on the Maharasthra-Gujarat border.
Accident relief vans have been sent from
Mumbai and Gujarat to assist in the relief operations and the injured have been
admitted to hospitals in Dahanu and Gholwad, the official said.
Top officials, including the divisional
railway manager, have rushed to the tragedy site and are supervising the relief
operations.
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