Guwahati, November 17
Twelve wagons of a tanker-wagon train carrying high-speed diesel (HSD) caught fire due to a blast triggered by suspected United Liberation Front of Asom (ULFA) militants between Bhilgaon and Barpathar railway stations in Golaghat district of Assam last night. Diesel worth Rs 3.2 crore was lost in the incident.
Northeast Frontier Railway (NFR) spokesman Jayanta Kumar Sharma said the tanker-wagon train was carrying diesel from Numaligarh Refinery to Panki in Uttar Pradesh. The accident damaged about 300 metres of track, resulting in disruption of train services.
He said 12 diesel-laden wagons caught fire following an accident between Bhilgaon and Barpathar railway stations around 9.10 pm. The driver of the train applied brake as soon as he noticed fire and smoke bellowing from some wagons in the train. Nobody had been injured in the accident and the fire had been extinguished this morning.
There were total 51 wagons in the tanker train out of which 48 were laden with diesel. Thirtyfive wagons, including two non-tanker wagons and one brake van, were safely removed from the accident site. Total 16 tanker wagons of the train, including the 12 that caught fire, were damaged in the mishap. Four wagons that derailed did not catch fire though oil spilled out from three of them.
Meanwhile, the Assam Police suspected that the banned ULFA triggeredthe blast targeting the train. The police claimed to have recovered some fuse wires and water bottles from the accident site.
