INDIA: Passengers escaped without injury after a Bihar MEMU train fire engulfed two railcars at Simri Bakhtiyarpur station, stopping traffic for about two hours early Monday.

A Bihar MEMU train fire engulfed two railcars at Simri Bakhtiyarpur station, but every passenger escaped without injury.
A Bihar MEMU train fire engulfed two railcars at Simri Bakhtiyarpur station, but every passenger escaped without injury.

Train 63344, operating from Samastipur to Saharsa, arrived at the station in Bihar’s Saharsa district at about 3:00 a.m. on August 3. East Central Railway said staff detected the fire in one of the train’s motor coaches after arrival.

A PTI report quoted the railway’s chief public relations officer, Saraswati Chandra, as saying the flames then spread to another coach. Every passenger left the train safely, and no casualties were reported.

The train was a Mainline Electric Multiple Unit, or MEMU, a type used in India for regional and suburban passenger services.

Overhead power cut as firefighters tackled the blaze

Station employees first attempted to control the fire with the extinguishers available on site. When those efforts failed and the blaze spread, several fire engines were called to the station.

The overhead electrical supply was switched off before emergency crews worked around the train. Firefighters completely extinguished the blaze at about 5:50 a.m., more than two hours after it was first reported.

Passengers described feeling intense heat beneath a railcar before flames became visible. One traveller stepped down to inspect the source of the heat and alerted other passengers before the evacuation.

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Four services delayed as railway opens inquiry

Rail traffic through Simri Bakhtiyarpur was suspended for approximately two hours. The disruption delayed the Kosi Express, Janaki Express, the Saharsa–Samastipur passenger service and the Shravani special operating between Saharsa and Deoghar.

The railway has ordered an inquiry into the cause of the fire and is assessing damage to the two railcars. Initial reports raised the possibility of a short circuit, but officials have not confirmed that explanation.

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