Live: Death toll rises to 26 in Bangalore-Nanded Express fire incident

1. 15 pm:  Death toll rises to 26 With three more bodies recovered from the charred AC coach of Bangalore-Nanded Express, the toll in the mishap has risen to 26. Forensic teams from Hyderabad are on their way to the spot to collect samples for analysis. Most of the injured have been treated as out patients in different hospitals, Anantpur District SP S Senthil Kumar told PTI. SP of Guntakal Railway Police Janardhan said 13 people were injured in the mishap and have been shifted to various hospitals in Anantpur 11. 10 am: Short circuit could have caused the fire, says Railway Minister A short circuit could have caused the fire in the AC coach of Bangalore-Nanded Express that has left 23 people dead, Railway Minister Mallikarjun Kharge on Saturday said, citing preliminary reports. Kharge, who has ordered an inquiry into the mishap, said 23 passengers were confirmed dead and four others injured. The AC coach had 67 passengers on board, of which 23 were trapped in the fire while others managed to alight as the attendant noticed smoke and the train was stopped, he told PTI.

 Quoting preliminary reports from Railway officials present at the spot, Kharge said, “Short circuit could have caused the fire” but the inquiry would reveal the exact cause.

He said an inquiry would be conducted by a panel which would also have other senior officials including Member (Electrical). 9.50 am: Short-circuit or inflammable material? Railway officials suspect that the incident occurred due to a short-circuit. Chairman, Railway Board, Arunendra Kumar said the reason behind the accident is yet to be ascertained. However, prima facie there could be two reasons - one is short circuit and the other presence of inflammable material. The magnitude of the accident suggests that short circuit was unlikely, he said. Asked whether it could be inflammable material, he said it could be and the inquiry would go into it. “We have asked for forensic experts from Bangalore and Hyderabad to examine the site,” he said. The Railway Minister and the Railway Board Chairman are rushing to the site. The affected coach has been detached and train has resumed its onward journey. 9.45 am: Compensation of Rs 5 lakh announced for Nanded-Bangalore Express victims According to CNN-IBN reports, compensation of Rs 5 lakh has been announced for Nanded-Bangalore Express fire victims. The Railway Minister has announced ex-gratia of Rs 1 lakh in case of grievous injuries and Rs 50,000 for simple injuries. 9.30 am: Railway Minister institutes inquiry in Andhra train fire incident The Railway Minister, Mallikaarjun Kharge, has instituted an inquiry into the Andhra accident. “Have instituted an inquiry into the matter-Mallikaarjun Kharge,” he told reporters. The PM had earlier asked the Railway Minister about the action being taken. 8. 40 am: PM expresses shock, enquires about action being taken Prime Minister Manmohan Singh expressed grief over the loss of lives in the train accident in Andhra. The PM has reportedly spoken to the Railway Minister, Mallikarjun Kharge to enquire about action being taken for rescue and relief work at the AP train accident site. 

  8.00 am: Bangalore-Nanded express catches fire, 23 killed An AC coach of the Bangalore-Nanded express caught fire early on Saturday morning near Anantapur district of Andhra Pradesh. Twenty three people are feared dead and twelve others have been injured in the fire. “There is a possibility that the number of the casualties may go up a little more,” Additional Divisional Railway Manager Sunanda Arun said. [caption id=“attachment_398193” align=“alignright” width=“380”]  Representative image. AP[/caption] The fire broke out in the second AC bogie of the train numbered 16594 which was headed to Nanded from Bangalore. There were 72 passengers in the bogie. The incident took place early in the morning around 3:15 am. 54 passengers are expected to be on board in the B1 compartment of the train which has been completely gutted in the fire. The train had left Bangalore at 10:45 pm yesterday. A few people jumped out of the train on noticing the fire. Railway Minister Mallikaarjun Kharge called the incident tragic and unfortunate and expressed his condolences for the family of the bereaved passengers. The helpline numbers are: For Bangalore: 080-22354108, 22259271, 22156554, For Puttaparthi: 08555-280125 For Hyderabad: 040- 23310680 The Railways have released a helpline number: 9731666863