The "private party coach" with 65 passengers had arrived from Lucknow in Uttar Pradesh.
The party coach had started the journey from Lucknow on August 17, scheduled to return to Chennai on Sunday and return to Lucknow from there, it added. The coach was detached from the train and was kept at Madurai Stabling Line when the deadly incident occurred.
What caused the fire?
Madurai District Collector MS Sangeetha said that the fire broke out in the train coach when one of the passengers lit a gas stove to make coffee. B.Guganesan, Chief Public Relations Officer, Southern Railway said in a statement that the passengers had illegally smuggled a gas cylinder which caused the fire. The passengers are not allowed to carry any inflammable material like gas cylinders.
"While the coach was stabled/parked, some members of the party in the private party coach were using the illegally smuggled cooking gas cylinder unauthorisedly for preparing tea/snacks, which caused the fire in the stabled/parked coach. Most of the passengers could get out of the coach on noticing fire. Some passengers had already got down at platform also before detachment of coach," the release said.
Carrying inflammable articles like gas cylinders, crackers, acid, kerosene, petrol, thermic welding, and stove and explosives is a punishable offence under sections 67,164 and 165 of the Railways Act of 1989.
The tourists of the private party coach had also given a declaration as per para 9 of the Railway Manual that they would not carry any inflammable material during their journey, Southern Railway said.
Source-Hindustan Times
#Madurai train fire# Madurai station#
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