Parcel van staff suspended for Malabar Express fire

Thiruvananthapuram: In connection with the fire that broke out in a parcel van of the Mangaluru-Thiruvananthapuram Malabar Express train here on Sunday, an employee of the parcel section has been suspended.

The staff belonging to the Kasaragod station has been suspended by the Palakkad division. He was entrusted with the task of loading bikes into the parcel van of the train.

The fire was confined to the parcel van. Preliminary investigation has found that two bikes which was loaded inside the parcel van was completely gutted in the fire.

As per initial reports, a short circuit may have caused the fire and the petrol in the tanks of the bikes may have aided it.

According to initial information, the loco pilot noticed smoke in the parcel van in the front part of the train around 7.40 am at Edava between Varkala and Paravur stations and immediately alerted railway officials.