Ill-fated Tamil Nadu Express reaches Chennai (Fourth Lead)

Hyderabad/Chennai, July 30 (IANS) The ill-fated New Delhi-Chennai Tamil Nadu Express reached Chennai Central station, minus the gutted bogie in which 35 passengers were burnt alive early Monday morning, officials said.

The distraught passengers of the train were in a hurry to reach their homes and were reluctant to speak to the media persons.

A passenger who arrived by the ill-fated train said: "I was in S-10 coach. We were asked by the officials to stay put in our bogie. The officials detached the other bogies from the ill-fated S-11."

Another passenger told a news channel that the rescue team came fast as the accident happened near the Nellore station.

"There should be fire extinguishers in each bogie to prevent such fire accidents in the future," he said.

Meanwhile, a special train carrying senior officials, medicines and relatives of the passengers of the Tamil Nadu Express left Chennai for Nellore.

According to Nellore police officials, 25 passengers injured in the fire have been admitted in hospitals.

Most of the victims of the train fire were from Chennai, according to railway officials.

Of the 72 passengers travelling in the ill-fated S11 coach of the Tamil Nadu Express, 28 were from Chennai and 17 were from Delhi.

The coach caught fire early Monday morning minutes after the train passed through Nellore railway station, which is not a scheduled stop for the train.

On Sunday night, seven passengers boarded the coach at Warangal, the first stop of the train in Andhra Pradesh. The other stop was at Vijayawada early Monday.

As per the reservation chart, 11 passengers boarded the coach at Bhopal, six at Jhansi, three at Agra and one at Nagpur.

The train No.12622 had left New Delhi 10.30 p.m. Saturday and was scheduled to reach Chennai at 7.15 a.m. Monday.

The long distance train covers 2,181 km and passes through Haryana, Uttar Pradesh, Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra and Andhra Pradesh before entering Tamil Nadu.