Madurai Train Fire: FIR Registered Against Tour Operator

An FIR has been registered against the tour operator in connection with the train accident that took place in Madurai railway station on Saturday after a fire broke out in a compartment in a stationed train killing at least 10 people.

According to the PTI report, a criminal case has been registered against a tour operator by the Government Railway Police (GRP) for alleged illegal carriage of cooking gas cylinder in connection with the Madurai train fire that left 10 persons dead.

"With respect to 'illegal smuggling' of cooking gas cylinder in the tourist coach by the tour operator, a criminal case has been registered by GRP under various sections of IPC and Railways Act," a Southern Railway release said.

Speaking to the news agency ANI, RN Singh, General Manager of Southern Railway said, "We are trying to do it (handing over the bodies) immediately after the postmortem today. Most of the relatives are around the Lucknow area, so we will try to airlift the bodies to Lucknow and hand them over to their respective families."

#WATCH | Madurai, Tamil Nadu: RN Singh, General Manager of Southern Railway says, "FIR has been lodged by the GRP under the IPC section and under the Railway Act section and the culprits will face the full force of the law. We are trying to do it (handing over the bodies)… https://t.co/MgXuD4CDir pic.twitter.com/R0CD6mihvF

— ANI (@ANI) August 26, 2023

As per the media sources, the investigation related to the incident will be held on Sunday at the DRM's conference Hall, Divisional Railway Manager's office Complex, Madurai, by A M Chowdhary, Commissioner of Railway Safety, Southern Circle, Bengaluru.

Earlier on Saturday, a fire broke out in a compartment of a stationed train at Madurai railway station on Saturday, killing 10 people and injuring 20 others. The fire started after a gas cylinder that had been smuggled into the train by the passengers burst while they were attempting to make coffee.

Swift action from district authorities, police, and rescue teams resulted in the successful evacuation of 55 passengers from the compartment. Faced with the peril of the fire, passengers reportedly fled for safety as soon as they became aware of the situation.

Madurai District Collector MS Sangeetha provided insight into the accident's circumstances, stating to ANI, "Early this morning, around 5:30 am, a fire incident occurred within a halted coach at Madurai railway station... The passengers were pilgrims on a journey from Uttar Pradesh."

She elaborated, "While attempting to prepare coffee and ignite the gas stove, a cylinder blast occurred. Among the 55 individuals rescued, we have thus far recovered nine bodies... The rescue operation is actively ongoing."