7 bogies of Howrah-Secunderabad Falaknuma Express catch fire, passengers safe

Hyderabad: Multiple coaches of Howrah-Secunderabad Falaknuma Express caught fire when the train was between Bommaipally and Pagidipally in Yadadri-Bhuvanagiri district on Friday morning. The train was halted immediately and all the passengers deboarded. A total of seven bogies caught fire, and fire from three bogies has been extinguished at the time of writing this report.

Fortunately, no casualties were reported. Senior officials of the South Coastal Railway reached the incident spot and started an investigation. The incident happened when Train no. 12703 HWH-SC Falaknuma Express arrived near Pagidipalli railway station around 11:25 am on Friday morning. The railway staff noticed that the train caught fire in the S4 coach and had spread to S5 and S6 coaches. They immediately informed the loco pilot. He halted the train and alerted the passengers who immediately deboarded before anyone can get hurt.

In a post by DGP Telangana Anjani Kumar on Twitter, he said that all the passengers have been safely evacuated and moved into buses.

All passengers are safely evacuated and shifted in buses after a fire broke out in the Falaknuma Express near Bhongir rural PS limits. Police, Fire Dept, and Railways are working in coordination. So far, no fatalities have been reported.
Out of 18 coaches 11 are detached and… pic.twitter.com/TtgD5BzFP6

— DGP TELANGANA POLICE (@TelanganaDGP) July 7, 2023

Railway officials are yet to ascertain the cause of the incident. The fire department and railways are working in coordination to find out more. Out of the 18 coaches on the train, 11 coaches have been detached and removed safely. While passengers escaped injuries, a passenger got emotional after seeing her certificates getting burnt in the accident. She was on her way to Hyderabad for a job interview.

Due to the incident, SCR cancelled two trains, partially cancelled two and diverted four.