Fire at Indian rail depot destroys stocks of trade

A massive fire at a rail depot in India's border town of Amritsar on Monday destroyed large stocks of trade and quake-relief goods destined for Pakistan, a railway official said.

Photo: Fire at Indian rail depot destroys stocks of trade

Goods worth tens of millions of rupees (hundreds of thousands of dollars) were destroyed when the depot caught fire early in the morning, said Ratan Chand, a commandant of the Railway Protection Force. There was no loss of life or injuries from the accident, he said.

The goods destroyed included export consignments and relief material for quake-hit areas in Pakistan, Chand said. They were to be transported by the Samjhauta Express, the only train link between rival India and Pakistan, from the Attari railroad station to the western Pakistani city of Lahore, he said. Attari is about 25 kilometers (15 miles) from Amritsar, reports the AP.

I.L.