Coach gutted at Katwa Station; no injuries reported

Katwa: A coach of the Katwa–Azimganj passenger train caught fire while standing at platform number 2 of Katwa station early on Sunday. No injuries were reported.

The fire broke out around 4.30 am in one of the coaches of the 53435 Katwa–Azimganj passenger, which was scheduled to leave at about 6 am. As it was early morning and the platform was sparsely crowded, no passengers were inside the affected coach.

Railway Protection Force, Government Railway Police, and fire brigade personnel rushed to the spot after being alerted. Two fire tenders brought the flames under control, preventing the fire from spreading to adjacent coaches. The affected coach was completely gutted. Train movement on the line was briefly affected before services resumed. Railway officials detached the damaged coach and cleared the remaining rake to depart at around 7.45 am. Eastern Railway chief public relations officer Shibram Majhi said a committee had begun investigating the incident, and the exact cause of the fire would be known after the probe. Fire department officials said a short circuit was suspected, though this was yet to be confirmed.