Nine persons were charred to death in their sleep when a fire broke out in three coaches of the Bandra-Dehradun Express in neighbouring Thane district in the wee hours of today. This is the second fire mishap on a train within a fortnight.

The fire started in one of the three coaches and soon spread to other two coaches when the passengers were sleeping at about 2.50 AM. Four persons have sustained minor injuries. The affected coaches were S-2 S-3 and S-4. The fire has been put out and the train has made its forward journey.

Railway Minister Mallikarjun Kharge has announced an ex-gratia of five lakh rupees each to the next of kin of those killed. One lakh rupees will be given to those seriously injured and 50,000 rupees will be given to those who received minor injuries. Chairman, Railway Board, Arunendra Kumar said, the commissioner of Railway Safety will conduct an inquiry into the fire incident.