Patna, May 28 (IANS) A fire broke out in a general coach of the Jaynagar-Udhna Express at Madhubani railway station on Thursday, completely gutting the compartment, officials said.

According to a railway official, the affected coach was standing on Platform No 3 for maintenance work when thick black smoke and flames suddenly started emerging from it. The blaze quickly spread through the general compartment, completely gutting the coach.

Fortunately, no passengers were on board at the time of the incident, as the train had reportedly been stationed at the railway station for maintenance for the past two days.

No injuries to passengers or railway staff were reported.

People present at the station immediately informed the Station Master after noticing the fire. Fire brigade teams were rushed to the spot, but by the time they arrived, a substantial portion of the coach had already been damaged.

After extensive efforts, firefighters succeeded in bringing the blaze under control and preventing it from spreading to other coaches.

The incident briefly created panic among passengers and staff present at the station premises.

Following the incident, Jyoti Prakash Mishra, the Divisional Railway Manager (DRM) of the Samastipur Railway Division, reached Madhubani on a special train to inspect the site. During the inspection, the DRM reviewed the damage and sought detailed reports from railway officials regarding the circumstances leading to the fire.

Considering the seriousness of the incident, he also announced the formation of a high-level inquiry committee to investigate the exact cause of the fire and assess possible lapses in safety measures.

Railway authorities suspect a short circuit to be the preliminary cause of the incident, though the exact reason will be determined after the inquiry report is submitted.

Earlier, on May 18, a sudden fire broke out in a general coach of the Sasaram-Patna Fast Passenger train (53212). The incident occurred while the train was stationed at Platform Number 6 ahead of its scheduled departure at 6:45 a.m. According to initial reports, the fire was triggered by a short circuit in the fifth coach from the engine.

–IANS

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