Thiruvananthapuram: The presence of mind of a loco pilot helped avert a major rail tragedy on Monday, as the engine of train no. 16723 Chennai Egmore – Kollam Ananthapuri Express caught fire at Kollam. The incident occurred when the train was entering the Kollam railway station at 1.30pm.The loco pilot noticed the smoke emanating from the engine, as the train approached the station and immediately stopped it.After preliminary inquiry railways officials cited short circuit as the reason for the smoke from the engine.According to a railway spokesperson, the loco pilot acted promptly and doused the smoke with the fire extinguisher available in the engine.“The loco pilot, who has got training in fighting fire, applied dry chemical powder type fire extinguisher to douse the smoke. The fire was under control before the fire force officers arrived at the station. Safety was ensured by fire and rescue team and as the rakes were safe for operation, the train commenced the return journey with another engine,” the spokesperson said.The electric engine of the train was shunted to station yard and was replaced with a diesel engine brought from Kollam station yard .In the return journey, train no. 16724 Kollam Junction - Chennai Egmore Ananthapuri Express was delayed by one hour and 10 minutes departed from Kollam station at 4.10pm.The Thiruvananthapuram divisional authorities have launched a probe into the incident.Another rail tragedy had been averted at Kollam 10 days ago. On July 6, the loco engine of a passenger train derailed at Kollam station. The engine of Kollam - Thiruvananthapuram passenger derailed soon after the train started from the platform and as the pace was slow, there were no casualties or injuries to passengers.

Stay updated with all the Latest Thiruvananthapuram headlines here. For more exclusive & live news updates from all around India, stay connected with NYOOOZ.