Boinda: A major mishap was averted when railway staff noticed smoke billowing out of the engine of Ajmer-Puri Express near Handapa station and took timely steps to douse the flame.
While the engine bearing number 18422 suffered severe damages due to the fire, the passengers travelling on the Ajmer-Puri Express were marked safe.
According to sources, the train was heading towards Puri via Sambalpur.
The fire broke out in the engine after Saragipali station at about 1:15pm. Some of the railway staff noticed smoke and fire near Handapa station. They along with the officer-in-charge of Boinda outpost AK Gadnayak informed the loco pilot about the incident.
The train halted at the Handapa station for some time. Later, the fire was extinguished with the help of extinguishers kept at the station.
Another engine was used to run the train which left Handapa station at about 2:40pm. The train was delayed by about 90 minutes, a railway official said.
The exact cause of the mishap is being investigated, it was learnt.