Howrah-Dehradun Express Caught Fire, 7 Peoples Were Dead

The two bogies of the Howrah-Dehradun Express, B1 and B2, caught fire around 2.30 am, as it was passing through Giridih district in Jharkhand. A five year old girl succumbed to burn injuries in the accident. Seven passengers, including an Australian woman and two five year old girls, were burnt alive and at least 12 received injuries. The name of five passengers who belong to Dehradun are Dr. Neeraj Gaur (29), Dr Anupama (25), HC Bhatt (30), SK Ranka(47) and LD Ranka (41). On other hand there were seven passengers belonging to Haridwar also in the same B-1 coach that was most affected in the incident. Fire broke out in two AC 3tier coaches of 13009 Up Howrah-Dehradun Express, which left Howrah at 20.35PM on evening Monday 21November and was scheduled to reach Dehradun on 23rd November at 7:10 am in the morning but at about 2.30AM on Tuesday between Nimia Ghat and Pareshnath stations near Gomoh of East Central Railway’s Dhanbad division. The position of the coaches was 8th and 9th from train engine. The train was having total of 19 coaches. Initially fire broke out in B-1 coach (AC 3-tier) and later it was spreaded to adjacent B-2 (AC 3-tier coach).

Howrah-Dehradun Express

Among the seven dead, only four have been identified as yet, including Anumita Singh Gour (26) of Gwalior, Neha Joba Ali Akhtari, the five year old daughter of Akmul Ali of Raibala Cantt in Uttarakhand, Archita Thakur, the five year old daughter of Dr Ajai Thakur of Ranchi and the 23 year

old Australian M S Rose. Although the cause of the fire is yet to be ascertained, it is being said that a short-circuit could have started it. Union Railway Minister Dinesh Trivedi regretted the loss of lives in the fire mishap and announced an ex-gratia payment of Rs 5 lakhs for the next-of-kin of each of those killed and Rs 25,000 each to all passengers of the two coaches. The eighth train tragedy this year once again raised it is a question about railway safety. During Mr.Lalu Prasad tenure between 2004 and 2009 UPA-I government, there were five major accidents in which over 20 peoples were died and in UPA-II Trinamool Congress took charge of  Railways there have been at least 14 major rail accidents.