Madurai, August 26: At least 8 people were killed and 20 injured in Tamil Nadu in the early hours of Saturday after a fire broke out on a tourist train parked on the Bodi Line near Madurai railway station.
The fire broke out around 2:30 a.m. and quickly spread to one of the coaches of the train, which was carrying a group of tourists from Andhra Pradesh. The cause of the fire is not yet known.
Fire tenders rushed to the spot and were able to bring the fire under control after about an hour. The injured were taken to a nearby hospital, where they are being treated.
The deceased have been identified as:
- K. Manivannan, 58, of Guntur district, Andhra Pradesh
- M. Seshagiri Rao, 57, of Guntur district, Andhra Pradesh
- P. Uma Maheswari, 55, of Guntur district, Andhra Pradesh
- M. Venkateswara Rao, 54, of Guntur district, Andhra Pradesh
- B. Satyanarayana, 53, of Guntur district, Andhra Pradesh
- M. Lakshminarayana, 52, of Guntur district, Andhra Pradesh
- P. Rajagopal, 51, of Guntur district, Andhra Pradesh
- K. Srinivasulu, 50, of Guntur district, Andhra Pradesh
The injured are being treated for burns and other injuries. The condition of some of the injured is critical.
An inquiry has been ordered into the incident.
The fire is a major tragedy and has caused immense loss of life and property. The government has announced compensation for the families of the deceased and for the injured.The incident has also raised questions about the safety of tourist trains in India. There have been several cases of fire on tourist trains in recent years. In 2018, a fire on a tourist train in Himachal Pradesh killed 10 people.The government needs to take steps to improve the safety of tourist trains in India. The trains should be equipped with fire safety equipment and the staff should be trained in fire safety procedures.
