Commissioner for Railway Safety Bhupinder Singh on Friday began investigations into Thursday morning's fire in the Mumbai-Amritsar Frontier Mail by meeting injured passengers to get a 'first hand account' of the mishap.

Thirty-eight lives were lost in the mishap near Ludhiana in Punjab.

"I started my work from today itself, as I did not want to miss vital evidence that could provide real, vital and authentic clues to the disaster," he said in Ludhiana.

The CRS, who was scheduled to begin his probe from May 18, met each of the 14 injured during his three-hour visit to Christian Medical College and Dayanand Medical College hospitals in Ludhiana.

He declined to divulge the information provided by the injured saying the inquiry is confidential. "Even though the job is complicated, I will finish the inquiry as early as possible," he added.

Singh said in normal course an inquiry takes 10-14 days, but in this case it may take longer. The probe will be conducted with an open mind, he said.

He was accompanied by a number of railway officials and is expected to inspect the three badly damaged coaches of the train, which have been brought to the Ludhiana railway yard.

Frontier Mail Tragedy: Complete Coverage