The Patalkot Express, traveling from Agra to Dholpur, had a fire in its third and fourth cars, and nine people went to the hospital afterward.
At precisely 3:35 pm, as the train was traversing the gate on its approach to Bhandai station, Singh discerned billowing smoke emanating from the fourth coach near the locomotive. Remarkably, none of the passengers aboard the train appeared to be cognizant of the looming peril, as revealed by a confidential source within the Agra division.
Yashpal Singh, a retired army veteran stationed at a railway-level crossing near Bhandai station, emerged as the unsung hero in averting a potential catastrophe on that fateful Wednesday. Were it not for his swift response and alerting the higher-ups, the fiery incident aboard the Patalkot Express could have spiraled into a monumental disaster.
Yashpal Singh promptly reached out to Haridas, the deputy station superintendent at Bhandai station, who, in turn, swiftly relayed the critical information to the control center. In response, the train controller issued immediate orders to the Over Head Equipment (OHE) in-charge to sever the power supply to all trains in both the UP and DOWN directions, bringing them to an abrupt standstill at their respective positions.
By the time the Patalkot Express came to a halt at 3:37 pm, it had already surpassed Bhandai station. Remarkably, within a mere ten minutes, a response team comprising the fire brigade, ambulance services, and the Self Propelled Accident Relief Train (SPART) had been dispatched to the scene. In the interim, the fire had engulfed the third and fourth coaches from the locomotive, yet the evacuation of all passengers occurred in a timely and secure manner.
The Railway Protection Force confirmed that the flames were entirely extinguished by 5:10 pm, with a total of 11 individuals sustaining minor burn injuries in the course of the incident.
This incident transpired as the train, en route from Firozpur Cantonment in Punjab to Seoni in Madhya Pradesh, found itself amidst the fiery turmoil near Bhandai, situated approximately 10 kilometers from Agra. The exact cause of the blaze remains under investigation, according to Agra Railway Division's spokesperson, Prashasti Srivastava.
Dr. Prashant Gupta, the Principal of S N Medical College in Agra, reported that nine individuals were admitted to local hospitals. Seven of them received care at his institution, while the remaining two were transported to a nearby medical facility. Presently, five patients in his hospital and one in the neighboring facility are receiving treatment for minor burn injuries.
Sonam Kumar, Deputy Commissioner of Police (West) within the Agra Police Commissionerate, noted that a contingent of five fire tenders and a forensic team arrived at the scene shortly after the fire was reported. The incident had substantial repercussions on the train operations along the Agra-Dholpur route, leading to the temporary halt of several trains at different stations.
In the end, the Patalkot Express resumed its journey toward its intended destination at 7:30 pm, with the affected coach's passengers accommodated in other carriages, in accordance with a statement from a railway official.
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