Two images of a burning train coach are being circulated widely on social media. It is claimed that the fire broke out after a train from Chapra collided with the Anand Vihar Terminal Express. Those sharing the visuals are urging others to share them as widely as possible. Facebook user Vikram Bhai shared both photos to a Facebook group named ‘हमारा हमीरपुर’ (Humara Hamirpur) on November 17.

The images are widespread on Facebook and Twitter.

Fact-check

Alt News had already fact-checked both of the images back in December 2019 when they were being shared in connection to the Citizenship Amendment Act.

First photo

Amar Ujala carried this photo in a May 22, 2018 report covering a fire that broke out in a coach of the New Delhi-Andhra Pradesh Express train.

The report also mentions that two coaches of the New Delhi-Visakhapatnam AP Express caught fire. According to officials, the blaze broke out after the air-conditioning unit of a coach threw up a problem. The image given below confirms that both images were taken at the same spot.

Second photo

We performed a reverse image search and found this photo in a June 4, 2018 tweet. At the time, it was being circulated with a similar claim.

Zee News aired scenes resembling the viral photos in a 2018 video report covering a fire that broke out in the Andhra Pradesh AC Superfast Express.

This confirms that the images in question were falsely circulated as recent. It is worth noting that Navbharat Times recently reported that the Sadbhavna Express narrowly avoided an accident in Chapra after reportedly colliding with an animal. The driver applied the emergency brakes, preventing any casualties. However, there was no information about the train coach catching fire.

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About the Author

Kinjal Parmar holds a Bachelor of Science in Microbiology. However, her keen interest in journalism, drove her to pursue journalism from the Indian Institute of Mass Communication. At Alt News since 2019, she focuses on authentication of information which includes visual verification, media misreports, examining mis/disinformation across social media. She is the lead video producer at Alt News and manages social media accounts for the organization.