Toofan Express catches fire, 'some casualties'

A major fire broke out in the Howrah-bound Toofan Express train near Mughalsarai early on Monday morning.

"The blaze broke out in five bogies of Sriganganagar-Howrah Toofan Express train at 0730 IST between Darauli and Dildar Nagar railway stations of the east central railway," Mughalsarai Divisional Railway Manager Vijay Mohan told PTI.

He said 'some casualties are feared as some of the passengers jumped from the moving train in panic'.

The cause of the fire was not known, he added.

Railway Minister Lalu Prasad Yadav has constituted a three-member team to probe the cause of fire in.

"The committee will be asked to submit its report within 15 days," Prasad told reporters in Patna.

The minister said he had also ordered the general managers of all railway zones to introduce a system of 'thorough technical and mechanical checks of trains moving in their respective areas at important operational halts to take measures to prevent the incidents of fire'.

A goods train driver noticed the fire and he alerted the Toofan Express driver who applied emergency brakes, Mohan said. Accident and relief vans have reached the spot, he added.

The traffic on the route has been affected. Other bogies of the Toofan Express have been moved to Dildarnagar and Darauli railway stations, he said.