Madurai Train Fire: A tragic incident occurred in Tamil Nadu’s Madurai district as a fire erupted on a parked tourist train early Saturday morning, resulting in the loss of 10 lives and causing multiple injuries. The Madurai District Collector has confirmed the unfortunate event and announced an ex-gratia of Rs 10 lakh for the families of the deceased.

The fire outbreak in a tourist train which was stationed on the Bodi Line close to Madurai railway station. A section of one of the train’s coaches was charred, as depicted in a video shared by news agency PTI on social media platform X. Firefighters rushed at the spot, working diligently to extinguish the flames.

A fire on a train traveling from #Lucknow to #Rameswaram in Madurai, Tamil Nadu, left 10 people dead and 20 injured.
May the Lord grant the departed a place at His holy feet.#TamilNadu #madurai #TrainAccident #Lucknow #rameshwaram #ShivShakti #ArrestTriptaTyagi #TrumpMugShot pic.twitter.com/mmz8NrYJH7

— Abdul Razib Ahmed (@AbdulRazibAhmed) August 26, 2023

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Madurai District Collector MS Sangeetha informed the media, confirming the unfortunate death of nine individuals and several injuries. Those who sustained injuries were taken to Government Rajaji Hospital in Madurai for medical attention.

Rescue efforts are underway. She informed ANI, “Early this morning at 5:30 am, a fire accident occurred in a halted coach at Madurai railway station. The passengers were pilgrims traveling from Uttar Pradesh. The incident happened while they were attempting to make coffee and using a gas stove, leading to a cylinder blast. Up to now, nine bodies have been recovered among the 55 people rescued. The rescue operation is still in progress.”

A Southern Railway official informed that the fire broke out at the Madurai yard around 5:15 am on Saturday, specifically on the Punalur-Madurai Express. Fortunately, other coaches are not affected by the flames. The Southern Railway released a statement stating that the burned coach, belonging to a private party, was attached to the train at Nagercoil Railway station.

It was found that passengers in the said coach had unlawfully brought a gas cylinder on board, which caused the fire. Many passengers managed to exit the coach after noticing the fire.