47 killed in southern India train fire

New Delhi, India – At least 47 people have died after a fire swept through a moving train bound for the southern Indian city of Chennai, local officials say.

The fire was discovered at a railway station in Nellore, in Andhra Pradesh state early on Monday, Sri B. Sreedhar, the local administration chief, said.

The blaze has been extinguished and at least 22 injured people have been hospitalised. The coach was completely gutted, with rescuers forced to use gas cutters to access parts of it.

Sreedhar said the fire was believed to have been caused by a short circuit in the coach, though a railways ministry spokesman said it may have been caused by “someone carrying inflammable materials on the train”.

After the fire was discovered, Sreedhar said, the stricken section was detached from the rest of the train to prevent the blaze from spreading.

Sreedhar said the rescue operation was continuing.

India’s rail network is still the main form of long-distance travel in the huge country, despite fierce competition from private airlines.

In May, there were two fatal accidents on the rail network, including a collision that killed 25 people near the southern city of Bangalore.

Four passengers died in a separate accidents after a train derailed in the northern state of Uttar Pradesh.

In March, then Railways Minister Dinesh Trivedi unveiled a draft budget for 2012-13 that includes a major safety upgrade, to be financed by across-the-board fare increases.

He was, however, forced to withdraw it and resign after his own political party, the Trinamool Congress, objected to the ticket price increase.
 
India’s railway operates 9,000 passenger trains and carries some 18 million passengers every day, connecting every corner of the country.
 
Source: www.timesofearth.com / Agencies