Woman injured as train catches fire in north India

A 32-year-old woman received grievous burn injuries when a train moving from India's northern state of Punjab to the eastern state of Bihar caught fire on Saturday, confirmed a local police officer to Xinhua over the phone.



The incident happened at the Sirhind railway station in Punjab's Fatehgarh Sahib district.



The injured woman was admitted to a local hospital, and was said to be stable. Hailing from Bihar, she was reportedly going home to celebrate the Diwali festival, which falls on Oct. 20.



According to the police, fire broke out in the brake system in one of the coaches of the Garib Rath train due to a short-circuit in an electric panel. Immediately, the train was stopped, the coach on fire was separated from the rest of the train, and the firefighting system was put in place. Two nearby coaches were partially damaged in the fire, added the cop.



Latest reports said that the fire had been doused, and the passengers were being shifted to an alternate train for the rest of the journey.