NEW DELHI, Saturday (AFP) - The death toll from a fire which broke out on an Indian train as passengers slept has climbed to 31, a railway official said today.
Some 360 people were aboard the packed train which was travelling through a rural part of southern India when the pre-dawn blaze erupted on Friday.
The fire broke out in one carriage and swiftly engulfed four others. The ferocity of the blaze gutted the carriages and scorched off the exterior paint. “The death toll is 31,” South Central railway spokesman Shakeel Ahmed told AFP by telephone from southern Andhra Pradesh state.
One victim remained in serious condition, he said, while four others suffered minor injuries.
Authorities said they were still probing the cause of the fire but some media reports said an electrical wiring fault may have been to blame.
Accidents are frequent on India's state-run railways, which carry more than 13 million passengers daily.
Railway experts say the antiquated network has become increasingly vulnerable to accidents. |
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