Rail coach that went up in flames in Madurai was inspected twice for safety aspects

The coach was due for renewal of BPC at Madurai on Sunday.

The ill-fated rail coach booked by a private party that went up in flames, leaving nine passengers dead and a few others injured in Madurai on Saturday, was inspected twice for safety aspects and cleared for operation in the last 10 days.

According to sources in the Southern Railway, the Sleeper Class coach booked online through IRCTC by the travel agency which organised the tour was subjected to inspection to ascertain safety parameters and proper functioning of amenities at Izzatnagar (North Eastern Railway) on August 16, 2023 and Mysore (South Western Railway) on August 21, 2023.

After the inspection, officials of the Mechanical department issued Brake Power Certificate each valid for five days. “The coach was due for renewal of BPC at Madurai on Sunday. In the earlier two inspections, had the coach maintenance staff noticed LPG cylinders, they would have removed them. It is possible that the agent removed the cylinders from the coach before sending them to the pit line for inspection and certification,” a senior railway official said.

The early morning fire occurred on one side of the coach parked in the Madurai station yard. A suspected cylinder blast took place when a cook or passenger on board attempted to make coffee. “The food grains, vegetables, vessels etc. found in the coach reveal that the travel agent had engaged cooks to provide food for the passengers,” the official who did not want to be quoted said.

The coach was carrying 63 persons, including the travel agent and some of his staff. “A majority of the passengers got down from the train when it arrived in Madurai. There were about 20 still in the coach either sleeping or preparing to start the day when the fire occurred. Since exits of one end was locked and there was fire too, passengers rushed towards the other exit and few managed to escape.”

The private party coach was booked from Lucknow on August 17, 2023 and was scheduled to proceed to Chennai by Train No 16824 Ananthapuri Express on Sunday.

Enquiries made with railway officials revealed that the travel agent had given an undertaking that he would not carry any inflammable materials in the coach.