Parcel bogie catches fire

By Our Staff Reporter

CUDDAPAH, JULY 5. In a mysterious fire mishap, the parcel bogie of the Mumbai-Chennai Express caught fire around Wednesday midnight, but nearly 50 passengers travelling in a part of the bogie had a miraculous escape when a railway official of Rajampet spotted the raging fire and stopped the train and helped them get down the train.

The Assistant Station Master of Rajampet railway station, Mr. K. Satyanarayana Raju, spotted the `express approaching the Rajampet railway station with a burning' parcel bogie from which clouds of smoke emanated at 11.50 p.m. and signalled its stoppage. While half of the bogie contained 50 passengers, the other half was a parcel van. He immediately helped the passengers, asleep in the bogie, to get off and alerted the Rajampet fire officials who rushed to the station and put out the flames.

Property worth of about Rs. 10 lakhs, comprising plastic and electronic goods and readymade garments, said to have been booked by a trader of Chennai, was gutted. The bogie, which was partially burnt, was placed aside and the rest of the express train was allowed to leave for Chennai at 1.45 a.m., Mr. Satyanarayana Raju stated. Although casualties were averted, the cause of the fire remained a mystery.

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