Bhopal/Betul, May 10: Four army trucks were burnt to ashes in a fire on a goods train, which was also carrying ammunition and explosives, on Thursday on the Bhopal-Nagpur stretch in Madhya Pradesh, officials said.

The fire broke out while the train, on way from Bengaluru to Uttar Pradesh's Faizabad, was near Maramjhiri station between Betul and Itarsi junctions, an official said, adding the reasons for the blaze were yet to be ascertained.

Operations on the stretch were affected following the fire.

Betul District Collector Shashank Mishra told media persons that the fire, which swept across four bogies on which the trucks were being transported, had now been controlled, and while the trucks had been destroyed, the ammunition and explosives was safe. A decision on the forward movement of the train would be taken after consultations, he added. 

Government Railway Police Inspector Hemraj Kumre said that his team reached the spot on coming to know of the blaze and spent many hours dousing it.

Mishra, Superintendent of Police Saket Prakash Pandey and other senior officials have reached the spot, along with senior railway officials.

Let the Truth be known. If you read VB and like VB, please be a VB Supporter and Help us deliver the Truth to one and all.



New Delhi (PTI): The Lok Sabha was adjourned till 12 noon on Monday after paying tributes to departed members of the House, including two MPs who won the parliamentary elections this year.

As soon as the House met on the first day of the Winter Session, Speaker Om Birla mentioned the deaths of Vasantrao Balwantrao Chavan, who was elected to the House from Nanded constituency in Maharashtra and Sk Nurul Islam, who was elected from the Basirhat seat in West Bengal.

Birla also mentioned the deaths of three former members -- M. M. Lawrence (Kerala), M Parvathi (Andhra Pradesh) and Harischandra Devram Chavan (Maharashtra) -- and paid respects to them.

After the House remained silent for some time as a mark of respect to the departed leaders, the Speaker adjourned the House till 12 noon.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Defence Minister Rajnath Singh, Home Minister Amit Shah, DMK leader T R Baalu, and Congress' Gaurav Gogoi were among those present in the Lower House.

Ravindra Vasantrao Chavan, son of deceased MP Vasantrao Balwantrao Chavan, got elected as MP from Nanded in the just concluded by-elections.