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Bhubaneswar, Odisha : A fire scare on the Howrah-Puri Dhauli Superfast Express triggered panic among passengers late on Sunday night after smoke was detected in the SLRD coach while the train was passing through Odisha’s Balasore district. Acting swiftly, railway authorities halted the train at Markona railway station and evacuated passengers as a precautionary measure.
According to preliminary reports, the smoke was caused by an electrical short circuit in the coach located next to the locomotive. The loco pilot immediately alerted the Station Master at Markona after noticing the smoke, prompting railway officials to stop the train and initiate emergency safety measures.
Railway personnel quickly reached the spot and inspected the affected coach while passengers were safely moved away from the train. Eyewitnesses said the sudden appearance of smoke led to panic among travellers, although the situation was brought under control without any injuries.
Passenger Manoranjan Samantaray said he believed the smoke originated due to an electrical circuit problem, adding that passengers noticed the smoke and became alarmed. Another passenger, Abhimanyu Sethi, claimed the short circuit occurred near the AC compartment and remarked that such incidents should not continue despite advancements in railway technology.
To eliminate any further risk, railway officials detached the smoke-affected coach from the train. After ensuring that the remaining coaches were safe for travel, the Dhauli Superfast Express resumed its journey towards Puri after a delay of nearly two hours.
The detached coach remained stationed at Markona railway station at the time of reporting. No injuries or loss of life were reported in the incident, and the exact cause of the electrical fault is expected to be ascertained following a detailed technical inspection.
Railway officials had not issued an official statement on the incident till the time of filing this report.
