Fire on Bengal-bound Karmabhoomi Express train near Punjab’s Rajpura

A fire erupted in the Karmabhoomi Express en route from Amritsar to West Bengal on Friday, causing alarm among passengers and railway personnel. The locomotive halted at Rajpura station out of precaution as smoke was detected emanating from the fifth coach forward from the engine. #WATCH | Near Rajpura, Punjab: A fire engulfed four coaches on the Karmabhumi Express in the Ambala division; no injuries reported Northern Railway's Chief Public Relations Officer, Himanshu Shekhar Upadhyay, reported that the train came to a safe stop following an automatic safety mechanism near Sarai Banjara station.

Initially, four coaches were found to have caught fire in the vicinity of Sarai Banjara, adjacent to Rajpura. Intense smoke enveloped the affected coaches, prompting a number of passengers to hastily exit with their possessions due to the fear of the fire spreading. Railway authorities alerted and emergency response measures were immediately set in motion.

The burning coaches were successfully separated from the rest of the train to prevent the fire from spreading to other compartments. Fire brigade teams arrived at the scene to bring the fire under control. The incident did not result in any casualties, but passengers returning home for the festive season experienced considerable losses as their belongings were left behind in the affected coaches and were destroyed by the fire.

The origin of the fire remains uncertain. While technical malfunctions or short circuits are among the likely scenarios, no cause has been officially confirmed thus far. A comprehensive investigation will be undertaken to identify what led to the blaze.