Rajdhani Express catches fire in Assam

Passengers on board the New Delhi-bound Rajdhani Express had a narrow escape Tuesday after the pantry car of the train caught fire near Dharamtul station in Nagaon district in Assam.

A spokesman of Northeast Frontier Railway (NFR) said the incident took place around 4 a.m. Tuesday. No one was injured but the coach was completely gutted in the fire, he said.

There were at least 15 people, including the pantry car staff, in the coach when it was engulfed in flames. All of them escaped unhurt.

"Fire brigade rushed to the area and later doused the fire with help from police and local people. The details of the incident are awaited but it is suspected that some kind of short circuit led to the incident," said the NFR spokesman.

Dharamtul is located about 70 km from Assam's main city Guwahati.

The train left Dibrugarh station at 8.30 p.m. Monday night and was scheduled to arrive at Guwahati Tuesday morning at 6.40 a.m.