Three coaches of the New Delhi-Darbhanga Special Express were damaged after a fire broke out in the train near Etawah in Uttar Pradesh on Wednesday evening, according to officials.

Four people suffered minor injuries. According to preliminary information, they are not burn injuries, Etawah Superintendent of Police (SP) Sanjai Kumar said.

The cause of the fire, which broke out around 5:30 pm, was not known immediately. Plumes of black smoke were seen billowing out from the coaches.

"While one coach was gutted in the fire, two adjacent ones were partially damaged and a fourth coach was filled with smoke. All the four coaches were detached from the train," a police official present at the spot said.

"Many passengers lost their belongings in the incident," he said.

SP Sanjai Kumar told PTI that fire tenders were rushed to the spot after information about the incident was received.

"Ambulances and a team of doctors are present at the spot," he said.

Himanshu Upadhyay, Chief Public Relations Officer (CPRO) of North Central Railways, said the guard at the Sarai Bhopat junction near Etawah noticed smoke coming out from the New Delhi-Darbhanga Special Express' coach number S1.

"The train was immediately stopped and all the passengers were evacuated. Everyone is safe and there is no report of any casualty," he said.

"Alert railway officials averted a big tragedy today," he added.

The Railways is making arrangements to accommodate the affected passengers in the remaining coaches of the train. Once the train reaches Kanpur, additional coaches will be added to it to ensure a comfortable journey for the passengers.

Another senior railway official said the train left for Kanpur from Etawah at 8:18 pm.

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