Fire breaks out on train, no casualties

Three coaches of a train caught fire near Kiul railway station in Bihar’s Lakhisarai district on Thursday but all passengers were evacuated safely, railway officials said.

The short-distance train was on way from Patna to Jasidih on Patna-Howrah route when flames were noticed around 5.24 pm as it was about to arrive at Kiul station. Passengers pulled the alarm chain and as the train entered Kiul station, they rushed out even as the flames engulfed the three coaches, eyewitnesses said.

Fire tenders, with help from locals and railway staff, later doused the flames.

Chief public relations officer of the East Central Railway (ECR), Saransawati Chandra, said some of the passengers travelling in the train were later shifted to unaffected coaches and sent to Jasidih. He said the cause of the fire was being investigated.

The incident disrupted the movement of six trains on the route.