Leaping into action, he immediately stopped the train. Taking complete charge, alongside his co-staffers, he detached the parcel van from the other coaches first and then from the engine.
At 4.10 pm, between Mugma and Thaparnagar stations in Jharkhand, the loco pilot of 13007 Udyan Abha Toofan Express, Bidyut Mondal, smelled something burning.
It wasn’t long until he realised that the parcel van of the express that had caught fire.
Leaping into action, he immediately stopped the train. Taking complete charge, alongside his co-staffers, he detached the parcel van from the other coaches first and then from the engine.
The fire could have spread to the passenger coaches, endangering lives. But the quick thinking and actions of the loco driver and the staff averted a major tragedy.
Speaking to the Times of India, an Eastern Railway official said, the power of the section was turned off to avoid the fire from catching up to the overhead wires.
It took two tenders from Maithon Power and CISF over two hours to douse the burning detached coach of Udyan Abha Toofan Express (13307) near Thaparnagar station. The fire was controlled by 6 pm.
Read more: A 100 Feet Away From a Mid-Air Tragedy, This Woman Pilot’s Quick Action Saved 261 Lives!
A diesel engine later conveyed the passenger coaches back to Mugma, post which they proceeded to their destination after the line was cleared.
The passenger trains that run between Howrah and Sri Ganganagar had no casualties thankfully. Though the cause of the fire is shrouded in mystery, an investigation has been ordered.
The Eastern Railway lauded the presence of mind and quick action of the train crew and announced a cash award of Rs 5,000.
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