Passenger Train Burst into Flames in Bulgaria

Rescue workers carry a charred body, one of the nine victims of the fire in the train traveling from the capital city of Sofia to the northern town of Kardam. Photo by BGNES

A fire broke out aboard a passenger train, traveling to the town of Montana, northwestern Bulgaria. No casualties have been reported.

The fire was triggered by the grease on the wheels and was first seen by a man in one of the neighborhoods in the town of Vratsa as it passed by. He and other people starting chasing the train in an effort to alert the driver of the problem and force him to stop the vehicle.

The flames flared up just behind the locomotive and even after the train stopped the plumes of smoke engulfed by the train.

Nine people were charred to death and nine more injured after two cars of the night train going from Sofia to the northeastern town of Kardam burst into flames minutes after midnight on February 29, 2008.