In one of India's most horrific train tragedies, 32 people were killed when a second class coach of the Chennai-bound Tamil Nadu Express caught fire early on Monday near Nellore in Andhra Pradesh. A mobile camera footage showed leaping flames engulfing the S11 coach, even as the train continued to run, triggering panic among the passengers, with many desperately trying to escape.
Some of the passengers among about 80 who were there in the coach succeeded in saving their lives by jumping from one of the doors. Those trapped at the other end of the coach, where the doors did not open, perished in the most gruesome manner.
A Railway Board official in New Delhi put the number of dead at 32 and the injured at 25, revising earlier statistics that said 35 people were killed.
'I was lucky to escape but many could not, as two doors got jammed and the smoke spread very fast,' said Sudhir, a shaken survivor.
The passengers who had no reservation and were sitting or standing near the doors were lucky, while the others sleeping on berths, especially the upper and middle ones, had no time even to rush towards the doors. The rescue workers found bodies lying on berths. A body was seen in a sitting posture, indicating the man could not even attempt an escape.
Pieces of human flesh were seen among the mangled remains of the coach.
It was a railway employee near the Nellore railway station who alerted the authorities about the burning train. The police, fire brigade and railway staff quickly rushed to the site and controlled the fire after detaching the affected coach.
Initially, there was confusion about the number of dead as some bodies were charred beyond recognition and some reduced to ashes. Only five bodies could be identified till Monday evening, as rescuers had a tough time gathering the charred remains.
There were conflicting versions over what could caused the fire. Some witnesses blamed it on a short circuit, while others suspected a sabotage. A few claimed they heard an explosion. The railway minister Mukul Roy refused to enter the debate, saying that an enquiry had been ordered. 'This should have never happened,' he said in Chennai.
The railways announced Rs 5 lakh compensation each to the families of the dead and Rs 1 lakh for the critically injured. The Tamil Nadu chief minister J Jayalalithaa announced Rs 1 lakh in compensation to the families of the dead passengers and Rs 25,000 to the injured.
Some of the passengers among about 80 who were there in the coach succeeded in saving their lives by jumping from one of the doors. Those trapped at the other end of the coach, where the doors did not open, perished in the most gruesome manner.
A Railway Board official in New Delhi put the number of dead at 32 and the injured at 25, revising earlier statistics that said 35 people were killed.
'I was lucky to escape but many could not, as two doors got jammed and the smoke spread very fast,' said Sudhir, a shaken survivor.
The passengers who had no reservation and were sitting or standing near the doors were lucky, while the others sleeping on berths, especially the upper and middle ones, had no time even to rush towards the doors. The rescue workers found bodies lying on berths. A body was seen in a sitting posture, indicating the man could not even attempt an escape.
Pieces of human flesh were seen among the mangled remains of the coach.
It was a railway employee near the Nellore railway station who alerted the authorities about the burning train. The police, fire brigade and railway staff quickly rushed to the site and controlled the fire after detaching the affected coach.
Initially, there was confusion about the number of dead as some bodies were charred beyond recognition and some reduced to ashes. Only five bodies could be identified till Monday evening, as rescuers had a tough time gathering the charred remains.
There were conflicting versions over what could caused the fire. Some witnesses blamed it on a short circuit, while others suspected a sabotage. A few claimed they heard an explosion. The railway minister Mukul Roy refused to enter the debate, saying that an enquiry had been ordered. 'This should have never happened,' he said in Chennai.
The railways announced Rs 5 lakh compensation each to the families of the dead and Rs 1 lakh for the critically injured. The Tamil Nadu chief minister J Jayalalithaa announced Rs 1 lakh in compensation to the families of the dead passengers and Rs 25,000 to the injured.