Four Coaches of Karmabhoomi Express Catch Fire in Punjab, No Casualties Reported

A fire broke out in four coaches of the 12508 Karmabhoomi Express near Sarai Banjara station in Punjab on Friday, and Northern Railway said there was no information about anyone being injured or any casualties. The train was travelling from Amritsar to New Jalpaiguri when the fire was reported in the Ambala division.

Northern Railway Chief Public Relations Officer Himanshu Shekhar Upadhyay told ANI that the train stopped after its safety system functioned in time. "Information was received regarding a fire in four coaches of the 12508 Karmabhumi Express, which travels from Amritsar to New Jalpaiguri, near Sarai Banjara station in the Ambala division. Due to the timely functioning of the safety system, the train stopped, and the fire is being brought under control. All senior officials have reached the spot, and there is no information about anyone being injured, any other kind of damage, or any casualties in this incident," he said.

Three coaches badly damaged

Senior Divisional Commercial Manager Yashanjit Singh of the Ambala Division gave a more detailed count of the damage. He said three coaches caught fire and a fourth was slightly affected. Rail authorities later confirmed the same picture: three coaches suffered severe fire damage while a fourth was partially impacted.

Singh said the service was an unreserved train running from Amritsar to New Jalpaiguri. Passengers were asked to walk about 500 metres to a nearby station, where an alternative train would take them onward. He said no casualty information had been received.

Jagran reported that passengers escaped without injuries. The loss, for many on board, was what they were carrying. Luggage of passengers travelling home for the festival was gutted in the fire, the report said.

Cause not yet determined

What started the fire is not settled. ANI reported that the cause had not yet been determined, and rail authorities ordered a formal inquiry to establish it. Singh kept the focus on the passengers. "This is currently a matter of inquiry. We will have to look into the cause. Our primary concern right now is ensuring that the passengers reach their destinations safely," he said.

One early local account points in a specific direction, and it should be read as preliminary only. Jagran reported GRP SHO Gurpreet Singh as saying the fire was reported in the fifth coach behind the engine and was caused by a short circuit in a compartment fan. That account conflicts with the railway position that the cause is still under inquiry, so it is not the established cause.

For now the confirmed record is narrow and clear. Four coaches were affected, three of them badly. The train stopped in time for passengers to get out. Senior officials reached the spot, passengers were moved toward an alternative train, and no injuries or casualties had been reported by Northern Railway or the Ambala Division. The inquiry will decide how the fire began.