At least 12 train passengers were killed in western India Wednesday after being struck by another train on an adjacent track after they jumped from their coaches in panic to escape a rumored fire incident,

The Pushpak Express train had stopped after some passengers pulled an emergency chain following panic over sparks inside one of the coaches.

At least 11 people have been killed and five injured after they fled rumours of a fire on board their train in India, only to be hit by another train. Railway officials said the passengers got down from the Mumbai-bound train in western Maharashtra state after someone pulled the emergency cord,

A rumor of a fire on a train in India led to a panic, causing several passengers to jump from the coaches and into the path of another train on Wednesday afternoon, officials said. Twelve people died in the incident.

Authorities reported "sparks inside one of the coaches" which the passengers mistook for fire, causing panic. India's antiquated railway system is subject to deadly accidents annually, despite investment to modernize it.

At least 12 people were killed when they were run over by a train in western India after they jumped from their coaches in panic after a fire incident, the Press Trust of India reported

At least 12 passengers died and 15 were injured when they jumped from the halted Lucknow-Mumbai Pushpak Express amidst fire rumors, only to be hit by the Karnataka Express in Jalgaon district, Maharashtra.