Ladhowal train fire
Encyclopedia
The Ladhowal rail disaster on 15 May 2003, was an flash fire
which began at 4am on the Frontier Mail train service in India
, and engulfed three carriages before it could be extinguished. 39 people lost their lives and another 15 were hospitalised with severe burns.
The train service from Mumbai
to Amritsar
, had just passed the station at Ludhiana and was approaching Ladhowal, travelling at over 100km/h. Eyewitness A. D. Singh reported that he had seen the fire begin as a result of a dropped cigarette, whilst Safi Pitoliwali claims he saw electrical wiring in the toilet of the fourth carriage catch alight, but what ever the cause, the speed of the train combined with the open windows during the Indian summer to create an inferno, as air carried the fire back through three carriages in a massive burst of flame.
Most of the dead were killed in this initial burst, as doors were slammed shut by the gust, trapping the commuters inside, where they burnt to death. Those that could dived under seats or leaped from the speeding train, but over fifty people were killed or critically injured in the first few seconds of the fire. 34 of the dead were in carriage five, and five more in carriage four, whilst those in carriage three escaped with mild burns, although all three carriages were later gutted.
Four minutes after the fire had begun, the train had stopped, thanks to the emergency cord, which had alerted the driver. The train's crew detached the unburnt carriages and they with fellow passengers attempted to rescue the many injured people caught in the fire, or who had leaped from the train to escape the flames. When emergency services did arrive, there was no water available due to a local drought, so the wreckage had to be left to burn itself out.
Most of the dead were only identifiable by dental records. Some remained unidentified and were being buried in a mass grave
. The clean up operation involved over 100 soldiers, as well as police and medical personnel from as far as New Delhi
. It was the second major train accident in India of the new year, and provoked extensive criticism of the Transport Ministry, who were claiming vast improvements in safety standards on Indian railways, following a string of appalling accidents.
Officials later ruled out terrorism
or sabotage
, often the first suggestion in situations like this, instead reporting that a spark lit some spilled flammable liquid in the toilet of carriage number five, which was caught by the wind and ripped down the train. A later report claimed the fire originated in a bag of 'combustible materials', but did not elaborate on how it caught fire.
Flash fire
A flash fire is a sudden, intense fire caused by ignition of a mixture of air and a dispersed flammable substance such as a solid , flammable or combustible liquid , or a flammable gas...
which began at 4am on the Frontier Mail train service in India
India
India , officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by geographical area, the second-most populous country with over 1.2 billion people, and the most populous democracy in the world...
, and engulfed three carriages before it could be extinguished. 39 people lost their lives and another 15 were hospitalised with severe burns.
The train service from Mumbai
Mumbai
Mumbai , formerly known as Bombay in English, is the capital of the Indian state of Maharashtra. It is the most populous city in India, and the fourth most populous city in the world, with a total metropolitan area population of approximately 20.5 million...
to Amritsar
Amritsar
Amritsar is a city in the northern part of India and is the administrative headquarters of Amritsar district in the state of Punjab, India. The 2001 Indian census reported the population of the city to be over 1,500,000, with that of the entire district numbering 3,695,077...
, had just passed the station at Ludhiana and was approaching Ladhowal, travelling at over 100km/h. Eyewitness A. D. Singh reported that he had seen the fire begin as a result of a dropped cigarette, whilst Safi Pitoliwali claims he saw electrical wiring in the toilet of the fourth carriage catch alight, but what ever the cause, the speed of the train combined with the open windows during the Indian summer to create an inferno, as air carried the fire back through three carriages in a massive burst of flame.
Most of the dead were killed in this initial burst, as doors were slammed shut by the gust, trapping the commuters inside, where they burnt to death. Those that could dived under seats or leaped from the speeding train, but over fifty people were killed or critically injured in the first few seconds of the fire. 34 of the dead were in carriage five, and five more in carriage four, whilst those in carriage three escaped with mild burns, although all three carriages were later gutted.
Four minutes after the fire had begun, the train had stopped, thanks to the emergency cord, which had alerted the driver. The train's crew detached the unburnt carriages and they with fellow passengers attempted to rescue the many injured people caught in the fire, or who had leaped from the train to escape the flames. When emergency services did arrive, there was no water available due to a local drought, so the wreckage had to be left to burn itself out.
Most of the dead were only identifiable by dental records. Some remained unidentified and were being buried in a mass grave
Mass grave
A mass grave is a grave containing multiple number of human corpses, which may or may not be identified prior to burial. There is no strict definition of the minimum number of bodies required to constitute a mass grave, although the United Nations defines a mass grave as a burial site which...
. The clean up operation involved over 100 soldiers, as well as police and medical personnel from as far as New Delhi
New Delhi
New Delhi is the capital city of India. It serves as the centre of the Government of India and the Government of the National Capital Territory of Delhi. New Delhi is situated within the metropolis of Delhi. It is one of the nine districts of Delhi Union Territory. The total area of the city is...
. It was the second major train accident in India of the new year, and provoked extensive criticism of the Transport Ministry, who were claiming vast improvements in safety standards on Indian railways, following a string of appalling accidents.
Officials later ruled out terrorism
Terrorism
Terrorism is the systematic use of terror, especially as a means of coercion. In the international community, however, terrorism has no universally agreed, legally binding, criminal law definition...
or sabotage
Sabotage
Sabotage is a deliberate action aimed at weakening another entity through subversion, obstruction, disruption, or destruction. In a workplace setting, sabotage is the conscious withdrawal of efficiency generally directed at causing some change in workplace conditions. One who engages in sabotage is...
, often the first suggestion in situations like this, instead reporting that a spark lit some spilled flammable liquid in the toilet of carriage number five, which was caught by the wind and ripped down the train. A later report claimed the fire originated in a bag of 'combustible materials', but did not elaborate on how it caught fire.
External links
- Early News Report
- Indian authorities Post-Fire Report by (suspect authenticity)]
- Irish News Report