Probe officer non-committal on causes of Punjab Mail fire

Probe officer non-committal on causes of Punjab Mail fire
PRESS TRUST OF INDIA

BHUSAWAL, FEB 21: The Commissioner of Railway Safety (SRS) Sarat Chandra Gupta, probing the fire in Punjab Mail that killed 18 people, was on Monday non-committal on possible causes of the incident but said possibility of flames being ignited through alcohol, perfumes or other inflammable materials was being looked into.

After a two-day inquiry, Gupta said: "It is very difficult yet to narrow down on any conclusions." He said the report of forensic experts, who have collected samples from the worst-affected S-8 three-tier sleeper coach, was still awaited. "Only after their report, things can be assessed on factual basis," he said after recording the statements of 20 witnesses.

"None of them, including the injured and railway personnel, have given concrete information which can lead to any conclusion so far," he said.Gupta said possibility of fire being ignited through alcohol, perfumes or other inflammable material was also being ascertained.

There were a large number of woollen clothing in thecompartments that could have caused the fire to spread fast, he said.

Divisional Railway Manager (Bhusawal Division), Arimardan Singh, said Gupta was looking into whether the fire was caused due to passengers' negligence, short circuit, internal or external sabotage.

Railway Minister Mamata Banerjee had said on Sunday "sabotage" could have led to the fire. Gupta, recorded statements of several witnesses including those injured and the railway personnel for the second day on Monday.

Singh said the commissioner had examined the in-charge of Savda and Duskheda railway stations, guard of the train R Bari, gatemen Ashok Onkan and Rajaram Oneha among others.

The commissioner visited the injured persons at the railway hospital here and recorded their statement, he said. He said internal or external sabotage are also being looked into as the possible cause of the fire.

Meanwhile, three more bodies of the Punjab Mail fire victims have been identified taking the total number to 10, medical officer of thelocal railway hospital K G Singh said here.

The bodies were of Girdharilal (40) Alka Girdharilal (7) and Gagandas (39), all from Ulhasnagar, Mumbai, Singh said adding the bodies were charred beyond recognition and identified by their personal belongings.

Singh said the condition of Gyanedra Pandey (19), hailing from Ratlam, who jumped from the train and received head injuries, was critical at a Jalgaon hospital and authorities have summoned a neuro surgeon from Mumbai to examine him.

Most of the bodies were found from the rear side of the coach, Gupta said. Four bodies were recovered from the corridor of the coach while the rest were found from the rear cabin of the S-8 coach, he added.

Gupta said the fire started from the front of the coach, that is from cabin having one to eight berths.

The final report on the accident would be given in ten to 15 days time, he added.

Ten bodies have been identified, according to Chief Medical Officer Dr K G Singh. The bodies were of Girdharilal (40) AlkaGirdharilal (7) and Gagandas (39), all from Ulhasnagar, Mumbai).

Singh said the bodies were charred beyond recognition and were identified by their personal belongings.