Image Source: The Hindu
On the morning of August 4, a fire broke out in the 18517 Korba-Visakhapatnam Express at Visakhapatnam railway station. The blaze, which occurred in the B-7 coach, caused damage to this empty coach as well as some spread to adjacent coaches. Fortunately, there were no casualties reported.
The train arrived at the station at 6:30 a.m. and was stationed on Platform 4 for maintenance. By 10:00 a.m., smoke was observed emanating from the B-7 coach, prompting railway personnel to respond. The fire quickly intensified, affecting the B-6 and M-1 coaches as well. These coaches were subsequently detached from the train and removed from the platform.
Fire Services personnel, along with railway officials and various security forces, swiftly intervened. They broke the windows of the B-7 coach to control the flames, which were extinguished by 11:10 a.m. The fire started at the rear of the B-7 coach, and an investigation will be conducted to determine its cause, as confirmed by Divisional Railway Manager Saurabh Prasad.
Due to a congestion of trains between 5 a.m. and 9:20 a.m., the train was held on the platform until after peak hours for its transfer to the maintenance depot. Only the B-7 coach was affected, and the remaining coaches remained intact. The damaged coach will be replaced before the same train is used for the Visakhapatnam-Kadapa Tirumala Express, which is scheduled to depart at 2 p.m. The service will proceed as planned with no impact on the scheduled departure.
