Rajdhani passengers recall scary experience

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It was a miraculous escape for passengers of three coaches of the Mumbai-Delhi Rajdhani Express that caught fire near Ratlam in Madhya Pradesh early Monday. Passengers praised the quick response of the train driver in stopping the train immediately saying the action averted a major tragedy.

When the train reached New Delhi Railway Station around 3 p.m. passengers breathed a sigh of relief. They hugged and kissed their relatives waiting eagerly to meet them.

Recalling the incident, Garima Jindal, a passenger said: "We were fast asleep at night and then suddenly someone came and announced that a fire has broken out. Initially we thought he was joking but then everybody started running."

An official of Western Railway (WR) said the fire is believed to have started in the pantry car at around 3 a.m. Monday when the train was near Thuriya station in Ratlam, some 200 km from Bhopal. The cause of the fire is yet to be ascertained.

"It was really scary and a horrible experience of my life. The pantry people came shouting that fire has broken out. We came out and also helped other passengers," said another passenger.

"I saw smoke and I picked up my luggage and shouted to other passengers to run. The driver immediately stopped the train and we came out before the fire could spread. The driver took a correct decision and stopped the train else the blaze could have been massive," said another passenger.

Railway officials quickly detached the three burning coaches to prevent the fire from spreading.

"Three coaches of the train (12951) caught fire and were gutted. However, all passengers are safe. The train resumed its journey to New Delhi via Kota in Rajasthan," Ratlam collector Rajendra Sharma said.