A major tragedy was narrowly avoided early Sunday morning, 17th May, after a fire broke out in the Thiruvananthapuram–Hazrat Nizamuddin Rajdhani Express in Madhya Pradesh’s Ratlam district. Railway officials said all 68 passengers travelling in the affected coach were safely evacuated within minutes, and no passenger casualties were reported. The FSL (Forensic Science Laboratory) team is inspecting the burnt coach of Train.
The fire was reported at around 5:15 am in the B-1 AC 3-tier coach of Train No. 12431, which was travelling from Thiruvananthapuram to Delhi. The incident took place between Vikramgarh Alot and Luni Richha stations under the Kota railway division. The train had left Ratlam Junction at around 3:45 am and was heading towards Kota.
#WATCH | Ratlam, Madhya Pradesh: The FSL (Forensic Science Laboratory) team inspects the burnt coach of Train No. 12431 Thiruvananthapuram–Hazrat Nizamuddin Rajdhani Express. Investigation is underway.
— ANI (@ANI) May 17, 2026
A fire broke out in an AC coach of the Thiruvananthapuram-Hazrat Nizamuddin… pic.twitter.com/qFzoq0UD50
Passengers evacuated within minutes
According to railway officials, the train guard first noticed flames and smoke coming out of the compartment and immediately alerted the loco pilot. The train was stopped at once, and emergency evacuation procedures were started.
Panic spread briefly among passengers as smoke filled the coach, but railway staff acted quickly and managed to evacuate everyone safely within around 15 minutes. Officials said the fire later spread to the adjoining Second Luggage-cum-Guard Van (SLR).
In an official statement, the West Central Railway, Kota Division, said, “All passengers of the affected coach were safely deboarded. No injury or casualty to any passenger or railway staff. OHE supply was cut immediately. The affected B-1 coach was detached from the rake.”
Railway teams immediately disconnected the overhead electric power supply and launched firefighting operations. Local villagers also reached the spot and helped the railway staff and the fire brigade teams during the rescue efforts.
Coach detached, train resumes journey
After the fire was brought under control, both the damaged B-1 coach and the affected guard van were separated from the train. Officials said the B-1 coach was badly damaged in the incident.
Kota railway division PRO Ravindra Lakhara said passengers from the affected coach were shifted to other compartments so they could continue their journey till Kota. Railway authorities also planned to attach an additional coach at Kota station.
The train finally resumed its journey at around 9.45 am after restoration work was completed.
